INDIANAPOLIS — A 7-year-old girl died and four more people were injured after crash Thursday evening on a busy downtown Indianapolis highway.
Investigators with Indiana State Police believe a van with two adults and three children inside became disabled in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70, just west of the South Split, around 8:30 p.m. June 27. The van's driver may have stopped because of a flat tire, and police say the left shoulder at that section of interstate is not wide enough to safely pull over.
A semi tractor-trailer struck the back of the stopped van, seriously injuring all five occupants. The 7-year-old girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but she later died from her injuries.
The Marion County Coroner's Office identified the girl who died as Genesis Turcios Reyes.
The conditions of the other victims were reported to be "stable" by police early Friday.
The left lanes of eastbound I-70 were closed for about five hours while police investigated the crash and cleared the scene. Drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.
Editor's note: Indiana State Police said the girl who died was 6 years old, but the Marion County Coroner's Office confirmed her age as 7.