The reason why semis began plowing into cars on Interstate 465 near Indianapolis last week was one driver’s decision to use a bungee cord in order to hold down his vehicle’s hood.
When the cord failed, around the 50-second mark of the video, the driver of the silver sedan stopped smack dab in the middle of the fast lane (and in a low visibility position, due to the bridge), while also causing multiple other vehicles to slow down considerably.
Unfortunately, that’s when one dashcam-equipped semi truck ran directly into the back of a Toyota minivan, just as a second semi flipped over, after its driver presumably attempted to perform avoidance maneuvers.
The overturned semi blocked all lanes of I-465, as it took authorities a total of seven hours to reopen the freeway, according to WTHR News. Altogether, two semis and four passenger vehicles were involved in the crash, which also featured one minor injury – which is pretty lucky, all things considered.
And the cause of this 6 vehicle crash; a failed bungee cord being used to hold down the engine hood which flew open and the driver lost control. So fortunate there weren’t any serious injuries. Poorly maintained vehicles shouldn’t be driven on the interstate or any other road. https://t.co/WCkF55eIwR
— Indiana State Police (@IndStatePolice) October 18, 2018
After disclosing the reason for why the accident occurred in the first place, the Indiana State Police also tweeted about how “poorly maintained vehicles shouldn’t be driven on the interstate or any other road,” something all drivers should be aware of.
In the end, the crash affected not just those traveling westbound on the I-465, but also traffic on I-69 southbound as well as northbound Binford Boulevard.