VERMILLION COUNTY, Ind – Saturday afternoon around 3:15 p.m. Vermillion Co. Deputies were at the scene of a vehicle fire near the 1 mile marker west bound interstate 74. As emergency crews were cleaning up, a second occurred about a half a mile to the east.

Deputies say that a semi driven by 53 year old Daniel Alvarez of Peoria, IL. failed to slow down for traffic that had slowed or stopped and collided with several vehicles causing a chain reaction crash.

Police say that Alvarez struck a passenger car driven by 18 year old Kaleb Acuna of State Line, In. He then struck a pick-up truck driven 44 year old Jeremy Ramage of Union, Ky and then an SUV driven by 60 year old Patricia Campbell of Indianapolis, In and finally struck another semi driven by 59 year old Kathy McCarthy of Edgewater, Fl.

Campbell had to be taken to Carle Hospital in Champaign, IL for life threatening injuries. Acuna, and a juvenile passenger and infant passenger who were both in Acuna’s car were taken to Carle Hospital for life threatening injuries.

Indiana State Police were called to the scene to reconstruct the accident.

The initial cause is still under investigation.