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Semi Driver Killed By Loose Horse Trailer In NW Indiana

PORTER COUNTY, Ind. (STMW) - A semi-trailer truck driver was killed early Saturday when he hit a horse trailer that had broken free from an SUV on the Indiana Toll Road near Chesterton.

The wreck happened about 12:23 a.m. on the Indiana Toll Road just east of State Road 49 and the Chesterton exit, according to a press release from Indiana State Police. A 2003 Chevrolet Suburban pulling an empty 12-foot Shadow horse trailer was traveling west on the toll road when the trailer came loose.

The trailer went through the median and crossed into eastbound lanes, the release said.

The semi, pulling double trailers, hit the horse trailer, a piece of which broke off and flew through the semi's windshield, striking the driver and causing him to lose control of the vehicle.

The semi crossed into the westbound lanes and finally ended up in a ditch north of the roadway, the release said. The driver, 50-year-old Julio Zatina of Bridgeview, suffered blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene from his injuries. He was driving for United Parcel Service (UPS) out of Chicago, the release said.

The driver of the Suburban, Rick A. Bullis, 42, of Wood Dale, was not injured.

Eastbound lanes and the right westbound lane were closed for about 30 minutes after the crash, the release said. It was unclear whether the Suburban's driver will be charged or cited.

© Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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