Full Notification

Wayne County – A Massachusetts woman was killed, and her passenger injured, in a four vehicle crash this afternoon on I-70 east bound, just west of the 145mm Centerville Exit. Around 3:50 p.m. officers responded to a report of up to eight vehicles involved in a crash in a traffic back up just west of the east bound Centerville Rd. exit, 145mm.

Trooper Bryan Rumple was nearby and responded to find four vehicles involved, 2 semis and two passenger vehicles. The preliminary investigation shows a red east bound 2015 Volvo semi, driven by Harvinder Singh Bhagtana, age 21 of Fresno, California was going too fast for the existing traffic conditions. Traffic at the time was backed up five to six miles and was slow to stopped in both east bound lanes, just prior to the Centerville Rd. exit, due to a construction zone lane closure at the 151mm east bound.

As Bhagtana’s truck came upon the slowed to stopped traffic, he was unable to stop before glancing off the rear corner of a 2016 Acura, driven by Nicholas Berry, age 21, of Naperville, IL. That vehicle was knocked out into the median. The semi driven by Bhagtana continued east in the passing lane and struck the rear of a 2009 Audi, driven by Margaret Ryan, age 22 of Boston, Massachusetts.

The impact pushed the Audi SUV under the semi-trailer she had been following. Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene. Her passenger, Christine Yip, age 25 of St. Louis, MO., was transported to Reid Health Hospital in Richmond with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the second semi, William Weatherford III, age 51 of Palm Coast FL., was uninjured, as were Bhagtana, and Berry. Bhagtana was cited at the scene by Trooper Bryan Rumple for Speed Too Fast to Avoid Collision.

The crash has had I-70 east bound closed for five hours with traffic being diverted onto SR1 at the 137mm. Investigators at the scene expect I-70 east bound to reopen in the next hour.

Trooper Rumple was assisted in the investigation by Crash Reconstruction Troopers Nick Campbell and Scott Keegan; Troopers Dan Jones and Earnest Paige as well as Sergeant Dave Clayton. Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division Trooper Al Willis inspected the semi-tractor trailers involved.

Also assisting at the scene was the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Centerville Police and Fire Departments, Redline EMS and INDOT.