At 5:38 p.m. Wednesday evening, emergency crews were called to the scene of a serious crash on Interstate 69 southbound near 106th Street in Fishers.
Senior Trooper Nick Klingkammer was close by and arrived quickly. He told dispatchers there were two unresponsive victims in one car and he was unable to gain access to render aid to them. The Fishers Fire Department quickly responded to the scene and hastily extricated both crash victims from the car.
Despite lifesaving efforts, both the driver and passenger of the car were pronounced deceased at the scene. There was also a semi-tractor trailer involved in the collision; that driver was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
Preliminarily, investigators believe the driver of the passenger car swerved to avoid shredded tire debris in the roadway and lost control, then the car spun into the path of the semi and was struck on the driver’s side.
Neither alcohol nor any other impairment is suspected as a contributing factor to this crash; however, as state law requires, blood tests for the drivers involved will be part of the investigation.
The driver of the car was Marcus Padgett, 19, Spencer, Ind., and the passenger was Elizabeth Robertson, 17, Pendleton, Ind., both deceased.
The driver of the semi is identified as Anthony Manuel, 52, of Georgia.
The investigation into this crash is ongoing.