According to authorities, the collision happened at 6:41 a.m. on Thursday when a Ford van heading westbound collided with the back of a semi tractor-trailer that was stalled due to the clean-up of other car incidents earlier in the morning. The accident is thought to have caused the van to burst into flames.
When the accident occurred, an ISP trooper was nearby and attempted to extricate the driver from the vehicle.
However, the collision damage mixed with the high heat of the fire rendered them ineffective. The van’s driver died as a result of the event.
Shortly later, the Sugar Creek Volunteer Fire Department arrived and put out the fire. I-70 was closed for many hours until reopening at around 8:45 a.m.