A 63-year-old trucker from Tennessee died Wednesday morning, Sept. 8, when the tractor-trailer he was driving crashed into an unoccupied scalehouse on Interstate 74 in Indiana.
Indiana State Police say the single-vehicle crash at the I-74 Weigh Station in northern Dearborn County near the 171 milke marker.
The troopers' initial investigation indicates a 2021 Freightliner pulling a box trailer and being driven by James G. Bristol, age 63, Jefferson City, Tennessee was traveling westbound on I-74 near the Indiana/Ohio state line.
According to the troopers, for an unknown reason, the vehicle left the travel portion of the roadway, entered the I-74 weigh station where it then drove into the scalehouse. The semi came to rest inside of the building.
A statement from ISP said tow trucks were called to the scene to pull the truck away from the building to gain access to the driver. When Bristol was located, he was found to have sustained fatal injuries. The unoccupied building was destroyed in the collision.
Information obtained by investigators indicates a medical issue may have played a role in the crash. Drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be factors in the crash. An autopsy on the driver is pending.
The crash remains under investigation.
