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A Warsaw man is in critical condition at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, after the pickup he was driving was struck by a semi tractor/trailer that allegedly ran a red light.
A sport utility vehicle also was involved in the 10:25 p.m. accident Tuesday at U.S. 30 and Center Street, Warsaw. The accident resulted in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 30 being closed for about 3-1/2 hours.
Douglas Raber, 50, suffered unspecified injuries and was airlifted from the scene. Raber, who was unconscious at the scene of the accident, was trapped in his pickup until rescue workers were able to free him.
According to a Warsaw Police Department press release, Raber was turning left from Center Street onto U.S. 30 westbound when his vehicle was struck in the driver's side by an eastbound semi tractor/trailer driven by Tadeusz Dylak, 55, of Chicago, Ill.
The impact pushed Raber's vehicle into the driver's side of an SUV driven by Carol Forester, 54, of Lexington, Ky. Police said Forester was crossing U.S. 30 on Center Street at the time of the collision. Forester complained of an elbow injury, and a passenger in Forester's SUV, Elizabeth Tinney, 73, of Valley Bend, W.Va., complained of leg pain. Both refused medical attention at the scene.
Witnesses to the accident told police that Dylak disregarded the red traffic signal for traffic on U.S. 30. An accident report noted Dylak was cited for disregarding an automatic signal.
Assisting the WPD at the scene were personnel from Warsaw Fire Department, Multi-Township Emergency Medical Service, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police, Winona Lake Police Department and Indiana Department of Transportation.
The accident remains under investigation.
