One dead in toll road accident

ROLLING PRAIRE, Ind.-- Thursday afternoon Indiana State Police responded to a fatal accident near mile marker 52 in Rolling Prairie.

The accident involved a semi driven by Nathan Kassahun, 39, of Chicago. Kassahun's semi was stopped in the right lane when a SUV driven by Leonard Daniel Ball III, 69 of Granger collided with the back of the semi for unknown reasons.

The SUV was wedged underneath the semi and Ball had to be extricated from the vehicle.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by the LaPorte County Coroner of massive blunt force trauma.

Traffic was stopped in this area for a semi that had gone into the median at the 53 mile marker and was being towed out.

Kassahun was not injured and there was no load loss from the semi.

All lanes eastbound were closed until around 6:00 p.m. Thursday night.