Car falls from I-70, killing driver

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Traffic was clogged in the area of Interstate 70 and Interstate 465 on the east side of Indianapolis Thursday morning after a car fell from I-70 onto Shadeland Avenue below, killing the driver.

I-70 eastbound was shut down at Emerson Avenue, and westbound was shut down at I-465. Westbound traffic was moving again by about 8 a.m., INDOT reported, and eastbound traffic was moving about 20 minutes later, though lane restrictions remained. Shadeland Avenue remained closed until about 11:15 a.m.

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The crash happened just after 6 a.m. Thursday. After preliminary investigation, IMPD spokesperson Linda Jackson said it appeared the car had gone into a patch of snow on the south side of I-70, then veered back into the roadway, went airborne, struck a utility pole, struck a barrier wall of the I-465 ramp and fell between the eastbound and westbound bridges and onto Shadeland Avenue 20 feet below, Indiana State Police said.

The car, a black 1992 Ford Probe, landed on its top, and the driver, Charles Wayne Barker, 58, Indianapolis, was killed, police said. A truck passing under the interstate had its windshield broken out, but there were no other injuries reported, police said.

The driver's identity was being withheld Thursday morning, pending postive ID and notification of family.

IPL crews were on scene in minutes to deal with power lines that were brought down in the crash. Concerns over live power lines were what prompted the I-70 closure, police said.