Man Walks Away After Semi Crushes His Vehicle On I-80

CHESTERTON, Ind. (CBS) -- A Chesterton man was able to walk away from a frightening accident on Interstate 80 on Thursday morning, after his vehicle was crushed by a semi-trailer.

The semi, which was pulling a trailer loaded with steel coils, was in the far right lane of westbound I-80, when it suddenly veered into the far left lane, crushing a Chrysler minivan driven by Billy Ralph, 32, of Chesterton.

After impact, both vehicles came to rest against the median barrier wall, with the van underneath the trailer, police said.

Somehow, Ralph was able to walk away from the accident, which happened near mile marker 15.5. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of head lacerations.

The driver of the semi-trailer, Chad Call, 30 of South Bend, said he lost control because of a burst of wind.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts.

Neither the use of alcohol nor drugs is suspected as being a contributing factor in this crash.

Call, who was not injured, was issued a citation for unsafe lane movement.