Semi-trailer driver dies after rig crashes at Indiana toll plaza
ANGOLA, Ind. (AP) — A 73-year-old semi-trailer driver has been killed after his truck barreled into two others at a toll plaza in northeastern Indiana.
Edwin Bottelman of Greeley, Iowa, was pulling a bulk tank trailer eastbound on Interstates 80-90 about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday when his truck crashed into a box trailer, state police said.
His truck then rear-ended another semi-trailer stopped in line at a different toll booth. The passenger compartment of his truck ran beneath the second trailer. Bottelman died at the scene.
Police said his truck was going fast and showed no signs of slowing or braking as it approached the plaza in Steuben County, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ohio state line.
Investigators suspect Bottelman may have suffered a medical problem which could have made him lose control, police said.
Issayas Gilu, 38, of Texas, the driver of the first semi-trailer struck, was not injured.
Ahmednoor Siyad, 35, of Minnesota, the driver of the second semi, was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Angola is about a 45-minute drive north of Fort Wayne.
News 8’s Gregg Montgomery contributed to this report.