According to a news release by the Indiana State Police, a two-vehicle collision on I-80 in Lake County resulted in the death of a Chesterton man early Saturday morning.
Indiana State Police troopers responded to a crash on the eastbound lanes of I-80/94 near the 8.0-mile marker at 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. The crash involved a passenger vehicle and a bucket truck, with initial reports indicating that the former had rear-ended the latter. Upon arriving at the scene, a trooper discovered that the car had collided with the bucket truck at a high speed. The location of the crash was between Burr Street and Grant Street.
According to investigators, the 2024 Honda Civic was travelling eastbound on the interstate when, for unknown reasons, the driver veered off the road and collided with a truck from behind. Upon arrival, troopers found the driver of the Honda unresponsive inside the car. Despite their efforts to administer first aid, both troopers and first responders were unable to revive the driver.
At the scene of the incident, the driver of the Honda was pronounced dead by the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Fortunately, the driver of the truck involved in the accident did not sustain any injuries.
According to the initial investigation, the driver of the box truck had to stop the vehicle on the right emergency shoulder as it had suffered a mechanical failure, rendering it immobile. To ensure safety, the driver had placed orange cones both on the side of the road and behind the truck. While sitting in the cab of the truck, the driver felt the force of the impact when the car collided with the back of his vehicle.
Corey Stephen Nicholas, aged 36 and a resident of Chesterton, has been identified as the driver of the Honda. The family of Nicholas has already been informed, and further investigation is underway by the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Autopsy and toxicology tests are still pending. It has been reported that the driver of the truck was not impaired during the incident. The Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Team was also dispatched to the scene to provide assistance.
