CLAY COUNTY, Ind – Just after 5:30 p.m. on Friday (7/19/19) emergency crews were called to a four vehicle accident on Interstate 70 that claimed the lives of two people and sent one to the hospital.

Indiana State Police say that a semi-tractor trailer was disabled alongside Interstate 70 in the emergency lane near the 21 mile marker in Clay County.

54 year old Serge Marquis of Quebec, Canada failed to failed to notice that traffic was slowing and slammed into a vehicle driven by 67 year old Dolores Soroa of West Miami, Florida.  Her car was pushed into the median of Interstate 70.

Soroa and her passenger 70 year old Anelis Nora Herrera Perez, of Cuba were killed.

Marquis’ semi tractor-trailer continued on striking a fifth-wheel pickup pulling a trailer, driven by 40 year old Christian Birch, of Trafalgar, Indiana.

The semi then went off the road and into wooded area where it stopped after hitting a tree.

A large ramp from the fifth-wheel trailer came lose due to the crash and was hit by a second semi driven by 40 year old Nishant Nair Ajax, of Ontario.

Police say that the investigation is ongoing and when complete, it will be turned over to the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Drugs and alcohol are not a contributing factor of the crash.