(La Porte County, IN) - The driver of a semi-truck who allegedly fled from an accident that led to serious injury he had caused on Interstate 94 near Michigan City has been arrested.
Gabriel Guzman, 43, has been charged with Level 6 felony Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury.
According to court documents, Guzman, who has a commercial driver’s license from Mexico, was traveling very slowly or stopped between the middle and right eastbound lanes on Sunday night when his trailer was rear-ended by a 2015 Ford F250.
The front end of the pick-up truck was so smashed in, that the driver thereof, William Watrous, was pinned from the waist down by the dashboard. It took about 30 minutes for firefighters to extricate him from the vehicle in below-zero temperatures. The eastbound lanes were shut down to allow a helicopter to land close and airlift him to a trauma center.
Indiana State Police said Watrous suffered fractures to his hip, right leg, right wrist, and left elbow along with bruised lungs, a damaged spleen, right knee, and possible damage to his bladder. The bone in his left leg was also split from hip to toe.
Officers, searching for the driver, reportedly located Guzman parked between other semi-trucks at the new Love’s truck stop a short distance from I-94 along U.S. 421. His trailer was heavily damaged while the truck itself was leaking fluids.
Guzman allegedly blamed a blown tire and snow on the shoulder for not pulling off the travel lanes. Investigators said the shoulder, though, did not contain any snow. Authorities assure that his truck will be inspected to determine if he actually suffered a flat tire or had some other possible mechanical issue.
Guzman was cited for Unlawful Stopping on a Traveling Portion of a Highway.
La Porte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan said Guzman was in the country legally under trade agreements that allow truck drivers with a commercial driver’s license from Mexico and Canada to travel into the U.S. to deliver goods.
Guzman, who lives close to Mexico City, could face an up to 30-month prison sentence.
