Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

A third victim is now reported to have been killed by one of Hamilton County's worst traffic accidents on record. The deadly pile-up, which involved at least 32 vehicles, including 9 semi trucks and a firetruck, occurred around 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Witnesses reported that a firetruck, which had been helping a slide-off victim, was struck from behind, which in turn lead to a deadly chain of events where cars and trucks alike began piling up on a stretch of Interstate 69 in Fishers, Indiana, which sits adjacent to the Fishers High School in Hamilton County. The National Weather Service reported heavy snowfall that hit Central Indiana (about 3.8 in. in total) just as the morning commute was peaking. Dozens of other accidents were reported throughout the morning in that area and stretching up to Anderson. Indiana State Police blamed most of the crashes on people driving too fast and following other cars too closely in the poor winter weather conditions.

First reports identified two men in a heavy-duty commercial pick-up truck, Dustin R. Goettman, 27, and Ryan A. Phillips, 28, both of Anderson, as having been killed. Later Tuesday evening, police confirmed that a third victim of the accident, which had initially been listed as critical, had succumbed to their injuries.

Travel in the area remained dangerous for most of the day, and a large portion of Interstate 69 remained closed while investigation into the accident continued. Witnesses reported that the fatal pileup began when a southbound car on I-69 slid off the road, and a semi and a fire truck pulled over to help. As the morning commute traffic began stacking in the area, vehicles were unable to slow down and began slamming into one another. Shortly after the first impact, a semi truck reportedly slid sideways and struck several vehicles. By the time the vehicles and impacts slowed down, the motor vehicles involved included 22 passenger vehicles, nine semi trucks and a firetruck.