Trucker arrested following triple fatal pileup

Indiana State Police say that they have arrested a truck driver for his role in an eight vehicle chain-reaction crash that claimed the life of a mother and her two twins.

The crash happened around noon on Sunday, July 14, on I-465 near Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Authorities say that six cars, a truck pulling a mobile home, and a semi truck were all involved in a pileup in the eastbound lanes of the interstate where traffic was slowed for construction, but the truck driver’s story conflicts with what police investigators are saying about the cause of the crash.

Fifty-seven year old Missouri-based semi truck driver Bruce Pollard told police that he was eastbound on I-465 when he was cut off by a white car that was not involved in the crash. Pollard said that the white car sped away but that the cutoff forced him to crash into other vehicles.

Indiana State Police, however, said investigators believe that speed was a factor in the crash. They said that Pollard failed to slow down for the traffic caused by the construction and crashed into several vehicles at a while he was driving at an unsafe speed.

From the news release from Indiana State Police:

Preliminary investigation revealed a semi-tractor trailer was eastbound on I-465 and ran into the back of a line of cars who were backed-up traffic. The traffic in the area was slowed due to construction. The three deceased were all in one vehicle and were the first vehicle struck by the semi, after the initial impact five other vehicles were struck. Investigators believe unsafe speed was a factor in this crash.

The car that was hit first by the semi truck was carrying Alanna Norman Koons, 29, and her 18 month old twin daughters. All three died in the crash.

Seven other people were taken to the hospital for treatment of various injuries.

Indiana State Police later announced that they placed Pollard under arrest on preliminary charges of three counts of reckless homicide and five counts of criminal recklessness causing injury. Troopers say that their initial investigation uncovered that the Pollard “was allegedly driving well above the posted speed limit at the time of the collision.”

#OnScene I465 & Keystone Ave pic.twitter.com/3WBB6sJu8F

— IFD NEWS (@IFD_NEWS) July 14, 2019