Police identify 2 killed in 20-vehicle pileup on Indiana Toll Road

By ERIN BLASKO, Tribune Staff Writer

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Jan 14, 2009 at 7:51 PM EST

Story Updated: Jan 15, 2009 at 12:02 AM EST

A quarter-mile stretch of the Indiana Toll Road near Porter was the scene of two fatal accidents Wednesday that occurred within minutes of each other, authorities said.

According to Indiana State Police, about 9:51 a.m., John Liefbrower, 69, of Chesterton, Ind., was westbound near Indiana 49 when he hit the back of a semi-truck that was part of a three-vehicle pileup.

Liefbrower died at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso after being taken from the crash scene, Porter County Coroner Victoria Deppe said.

About a minute later, another accident reportedly occurred about two-tenths of a mile east of the first.

Police said a semi-truck driver was stopped in traffic that had backed up from the first accident when his rig was rear-ended by another semi-truck. That truck in turn hit a third semi-truck and was then rear-ended by a Chevrolet Impala.

Paul Shrewsbury, 70, of Elkhart, a passenger in the Impala, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The car’s driver complained of chest pain and was taken to Porter Hospital.

Don Parker, of Wanatah, one of several drivers who lost control trying to brake for stopped traffic in the area, said the road became “like glass.”

“People weren't even going that fast. Back east of us the road was almost completely clear," said Parker, who braked to avoid a semi-truck that had begun to swerve in front of him and wound up skidding sideways into the back of the trailer.

State police handled dozens of crashes, including a six-car pileup in westbound lanes of Interstate 80-94 in Lake County that slowed traffic to a crawl, state police Sgt. Ann Wojas said.

Associated Press contributed to this story.

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