Indiana State Police: Gary man in custody on probable cause for OWI after crash on I-65 in Merrillville kills Waukegan man
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — A Gary, Indiana, man was held in custody on probable cause for OWI involving a fatality following a three-vehicle crash Saturday evening on I-65 in which one person was killed and another suffered life-threatening injuries. The man killed has since been identified by the Lake County (Ind.) Coroner's Office as William Binkley, 60, of Waukegan. According to Indiana State Police, troopers responded to the crash around 5:15 p.m. on northbound I-65 beneath the 73rd Avenue overpass in Merrillville. Police say the crash involved an SUV, a pickup truck and an old school bus that had been converted into an RV and was towing a passenger vehicle. The crash caused the school bus/RV to hit the bridge support for the 73rd St. overpass, killing the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the bus/RV was airlifted to University of Chicago Hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the SUV was not severely injured, according to police. Police say the driver of the pickup truck, 48-year-old David K. Rodgers of Gary, showed signs of alcohol impairment during the investigation. Rodgers then became combative and resisted troopers who had initiated an OWI investigation. Rodgers was taken into custody and then taken to a local hospital, where police say a search warrant for a blood draw was obtained and executed. After the blood draw, police say Rodgers was taken to the Lake County Jail and held on probable cause for OWI involving a fatality. Police say the crash remains under investigation, with toxicology results pending. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dash camera footage of the events leading up to the crash is asked to contact Indiana State Trooper Hathaway at 219-696-6242.
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