Two children, mother critical after I-65 crash

An Illinois woman and her two young children were critically injured Friday when a recreational vehicle smashed into their car, setting off a chain-reaction crash on I-65.

Indiana State Police said six vehicles were involved in the 5:40 p.m. crash, which shut down I-65 on the city’s Southside for nearly four hours. The driver of the RV was cited for three traffic violations, police said.

Erin McCormick, 36, Round Lake, Ill., was taken to Wishard Memorial Hospital with what Indiana State Police described as life-threatening injuries. Her daughter, Gwendolyn, 4, and Quintin, 2, were taken to Riley Hospital for Children.

The father, Erik McCormick, was not injured.

State Police Sgt. Anthony Emery said the McCormicks were southbound on I-65 near Keystone Avenue when their van was struck in the rear by an RV driven by Charles Walker, 72, Knox.

Walker had been driving in the third lane, hauling a horse trailer behind his RV, Emery said.

Walker told police that when the car in front him came to an abrupt stop, he inadvertently hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.

The RV hit the McCormicks’ van, pushing it along the highway. As Walker continued to press down on the accelerator, the van then was pushed into a truck; those vehicles eventually were pushed into three cars, Emery said.

Walker was issued traffic tickets for driving a vehicle in the third lane, driving a vehicle-trailer combination exceeding the maximum length and speeding when required to reduce speed. He also was given a warning for having an expired trailer registration plane.

Police shut down the southbound lanes of I-65 to investigate the accident. Emery said two of the three southbound lanes of I-65 at Keystone Ave were opened around 9 p.m.