LAPORTE COUNTY, Indiana — A 10-year-old boy died and two children, as well as two adults, were injured when the van they were riding in was hit by a semi-truck in northern Indiana on Friday.
The crash happened just before 10:30 a.m. in the 14000 block of U.S. 421, according to the La Porte County Sheriff's Office.
An employee at a tree service company was serving as a flagger controlling traffic while another employee backed a truck hauling a wood chipper out of a driveway.
The flagger had north and southbound traffic stopped to allow the truck to pull out of the driveway.
Christopher Lawson, 30, of La Porte, was driving south on U.S. 421 when he saw the flagger and slowed his vehicle.
Desmond Gaston-Hargett, 30, of Ecorse, Michigan, was driving a semi-truck behind Lawson. Gaston-Hargett told deputies that he realized too late that traffic was slowing ahead and had little time to react. He ended up crashing into the back of Lawson's van.
Lawson, another adult and three children were inside the van. The sheriff's office said all five occupants were injured, trapped inside and required extrication from the van.
The children were sitting in the backseat. One of the children suffered "significant injuries" and another suffered "severe injuries," the sheriff's office said. They were both flown to an area hospital for treatment. The third child was also injured and they were taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Lawson and his front passenger both had upper body injuries. They were taken by ambulance to the hospital.
One of the children, a 10-year-old boy sitting in the middle backseat of the van, ultimately died from his injuries, the sheriff's office said.
U.S. 421 was closed for around three hours while deputies investigated the crash. Authorities said toxicology test results are pending and that this is an ongoing investigation.
