Elkhart County – Shortly after 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night the Indiana State Police responded to reports of a crash on the Indiana Toll Road involving a passenger car and a semi tractor trailer. The crash happened in the west bound driving lane near the 100.5 mile marker in Bristol. State police arrived on scene to find a white 2003 Chevrolet Corvette convertible that had collided with a semi tractor trailer.
The driver of the semi tractor trailer was stopped in traffic in the west bound lane due to a backup that had been caused by the truck fire earlier near the 97 mile marker. A witness to the crash said that the driver of the corvette never slowed down prior to hitting the rear bumper of the semi trailer. The impact from the crash wedged the car under the semi trailer.
The driver of the semi Jakltongir Zakurlaev, 34, of West Chester, Ohio, received only minor injuries from the crash. He was taken to Elkhart General Hospital where he was treated and released. The driver of the corvette was transported by helicopter to South Bend Memorial Hospital where he later died due to severe injuries suffered in the accident. At this time his name is not being released until family members are notified.
State police are continuing to gather evidence from the crash. However, at this time it does not appear that alcohol was a factor in the crash. The driver of the corvette was wearing a seat belt and the vehicle air bags did deploy.
-30-
