Driver killed in high-speed, rear-end collision with box truck on I-80 in Lake County: state police

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - A driver is dead after rear-ending a box truck on I-80 in Lake County early Saturday morning, according to Indiana State Police.

The crash happened at 2:30 a.m. on I-80/94 eastbound near the 8-mile marker, between Burr and Grant Street. 

A 2024 Honda Civic was heading eastbound on the interstate when it left the roadway and rear-ended a stopped box truck at a high rate of speed, according to Indiana State Police. 

The driver of the Honda was in the car when troopers arrived but was found unresponsive. 

Despite lifesaving efforts, the driver of the Honda succumbed to his injuries. He was identified as 36-year-old Corey Nicholas, from Chesterton, Ind. 

The driver of the box truck was uninjured. 

Further investigation revealed the box truck had been stopped on the shoulder of the road due to a mechanical failure and was not drivable.

The box truck driver placed orange cones on the side of the road and behind the truck before the crash occurred, police said.

Nicholas was not impaired at the time of the crash, police said, but toxicology tests and an autopsy are still pending. 

The investigation is ongoing.