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Employee killed after driver crashes into back of delivery truck in Johnson County

olive branch road fata crash.jpg
Posted at 10:57 AM, Jul 11, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-15 13:15:01-04

JOHNSON COUNTY — One person is dead and three others are hospitalized after a driver crashed into the back of a delivery truck Monday morning in Johnson County.

According to the sheriff's office, three people in a delivery truck were either loading or unloading a delivery in the 3000 block of Olive Branch Road when the driver of a pickup truck crashed into the back of the delivery truck.

A delivery employee was killed and the other people involved were taken to a hospital. The deceased employee was later identified as Alexander Fernandez, 22, of Carmel, according to the Johnson County Coroner's Office.

The truck was contracted for Home Depot, police later said.

An investigation found the delivery truck driver was traveling eastbound when the pickup hit it from the rear, pinning one of the delivery employees between the two vehicles.

The driver of the pickup told investigators he couldn't see the delivery truck stopped in the road, likely because the sun made it hard for him to see.

"The Sheriff's Office does not believe intoxication or unsafe driving were a factor at this time. It appears to be a tragic accident due to difficulty seeing in the rising sunlight," Johnson County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Andrew Barnhart wrote in an email.

Traffic in the area will be impacted while detectives are investigating.

WRTV Senior Digital Content Producer Andrew Smith contributed to this report.