Merrillville Police are investigating a three-car crash Saturday afternoon in which one person died, another was critically injured and a third person was later arrested for driving around investigators’ barricades as they investigated the wreck.
Police are not identifying the deceased, who died at a Chicago area hospital, pending notification of relatives, according to a release.
Around 1:30 p.m. April 12, police were dispatched to the 8700 block of Taft Street/Indiana 55 for a three-vehicle crash. The vehicles had significant damage and two of the drivers had to be cut out of their vehicles by the Merrillville Fire Department, police said.
One of the drivers was immediately flown to a Chicago area hospital due to the severity of their injuries and was later pronounced dead by hospital doctors.
The second driver was taken to a local hospital for their injuries and then later flown to a Chicago area hospital and is listed in critical condition.
The Merrillville Police Department Crash Team was called to the scene and began to investigate. Their investigation was delayed because a vehicle went around police vehicles and barricades, ignoring police commands.
The driver was arrested and the crash team was able to safely continue their investigation.
This is an ongoing investigation and will continue for several weeks. Anyone with information about the crash should contact Ofc. Michels at tmichels@merrillville.in.gov or Asst. Chief Vasel at mvasel@merrillville.in.gov.