Located in northwest Indiana, LaPorte County borders Lake Michigan with its largest municipality, Michigan City, a mere 58 miles east of Chicago, Illinois. French explorers and fur traders came to the area in the 19th Century, naming the county for the welcomed trail created by the Pottawatomie tribe, which allowed ease of travel from the dense Indiana forests to the neighboring prairie: “LaPorte” meaning “the door” in French.
Truck Routes in LaPorte County
Today, transportation concerns have changed from the fur trading of the 1800s to the robust trucking and rail industries that serve the nation and the world here in LaPorte and the “Crossroads of America.”
Truck, rail, and port coordination
Trucking in LaPorte County coordinates with the many railroad companies operating here, including the Canadian National Railway; Chesapeake and Indiana Railroad; Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad; Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad; CSX Transportation; and Norfolk Southern Railway. Trucks also coordinate cargo loads with the nearby Port of Chicago and the Illinois International Port District, touted as the “greatest multimodal facility in North America.”
Significant truck routes through today’s LaPorte County include two extra heavy-duty highways (US20 and Indiana 39) where state law approves use by 18-wheelers, semis, big rigs, and tractor-trailers weighing up to an astonishing 134,000 lbs (67 tons). Other commercial truck routes in LaPorte include US 6; US 35; US 421; SR 2; I-80/I-90 (Indiana Toll Road).
Road work zones
Indiana has a reputation among truck drivers for having some of the worst truck routes in the country. See, “Just shutdown the entire state of Indiana,” published by r/Truckers on Reddit. And while infrastructure help is needed, truckers now face the frustrations of road construction work zones in LaPorte County.
For instance, in May 2025, INDOT warned on its Facebook page that from May 13th and continuing to early July 2025, the right lanes of US 20, in each direction, will be closed. This includes “county road intersections and driveways.” Furthermore, the construction project is forecast to be “ongoing through late November.”
Deadly Semi-Truck Crash Dangers in LaPorte County, Indiana
LaPorte County is the second largest county in the Hoosier State (covering 613 square miles), but not the most crowded as it ranks 16th in the state for population. These statistics may bring a feeling of comfort and safety, especially when comparing to others nearby (think Cook County, Illinois), but this does not mean that LaPorte is free from the danger of severe or deadly bodily harm in a semi-truck crash.
Consider the following recent news stories reporting on fatal semi-truck accidents in LaPorte (not a complete list):
1. May 2025: Trucker Dies in Truck Crash on Indiana Toll Roadway
This month, a sixty-year old trucker lost his life in LaPorte County as he drove a semi towing a box trailer along the Indiana Toll Road near the LaPorte exit. He was heading west when reports are that the truck driver seemed to lose control of the rig. The truck flipped and skid to a stop. Read, “Police identify semi driver killed in crash on Indiana Toll Road in LaPorte County,” written and published by WNDU on May 15, 2025.
2. April 2025: Fatal US 20 Crash in LaPorte
A LaPorte woman was driving her Kia before dawn (4:30 am) on County Road 300 East just as a semi-truck was moving along US 20, through Kankakee Township. The Kia did not stop at the stop sign and went into the intersection, where a tragic collision happened between the vehicle and the big rig. The Kia burst into flames and those on the scene were unable to rescue her. Read, “LaPorte woman dies in fiery crash involving semi,” written and published by WNDU on April 3, 2025.
3. September 2024: Fatal I-90 Truck Stop Crash
An elder driver of a Toyota SUV drove into a truck stop or rest area off I-90 West (at mile marker 56) on the Indiana Toll Road. A semi-trailer was parked there, with the trucker in the sleeper cab. It was mid-afternoon on a Sunday. The SUV slammed into the trailer at a reported “high rate of speed” and its driver perished in the impact. Read, “1 killed in crash at truck stop off I-90 in LaPorte County, Indiana,” written by Ethan Illers and published by WGN-TV on September 22, 2024.
4. August 2021: State Road 2 Deadly Crash
A tractor truck with a flatbed trailer was on the move early on a Tuesday morning when the trucker came to a stop at the intersection of State Road 2 and County Road 600 East, then began the turn onto SR 2. A GMC pickup driving east on State Road 2 by a young woman from Rolling Prairie collided with the tractor-trailer truck in the intersection. Sadly, she died at the scene. Read, “Rolling Prairie Woman Killed in Crash on State Road 2,” written by Michael Gallenberger and published by WKVI on August 11, 2021.
Common Causes of Fatal Truck Crashes in Indiana
In LaPorte County and all of the Hoosier State, the risks facing truck drivers, their rig occupants, and all those sharing the roads with them are well-known. The trucking industry, their insurers, manufacturers, shippers, regulators, safety agencies, and advocates for truck crash victims and their loved ones understand all too well the dangers that can cause a tragic and horrific truck accident here.
LaPorte County is vulnerable to the following causes of semi-truck, 18-wheeler, big rig, or tractor-trailer accidents where one or more people suffer fatal harm:
- Truck driver fatigue
- Truck driver impairment
- Truck driver distraction
- Trucking company negligent training of driver
- Trucking company negligent supervision of driver
- Trucking company pressure on trucker to meet deadline
- Shipping company pressure on trucker to meet deadline
- Failure of shipper to load truck properly (shifting load)
- Truck part failure due to defect
- Truck part failure due to poor maintenance
- Truck part failure due to lack of repair or replacement
- Motor vehicle (4-wheel) driver fatigue
- Motor vehicle (4-wheel) driver impairment
- Motor vehicle (4-wheel) driver speeding
- Motor vehicle (4-wheel) driver distracted
- Motor vehicle (4-wheel) part failure due to defect
- Motor vehicle (4-wheel) part failure due to poor maintenance
- Motor vehicle (4-wheel) part failure due to lack of repair or replacement
- Property or premises negligence (bad lighting, failure to maintain landscaping, failure to deal with snow, ice, etc.)
- Winter weather conditions
- Poor roadway surfaces.
For more, read: Negligent Training of Truck Drivers as Basis for Truck Crash Injury Claim; Truck Driver Drug Use in Indiana and Illinois: High Risk of a Fatal Truck Crash Caused by Impaired Trucker; Shifting Loads and Unstable Cargo: Dangerous Causes for Semi-Truck Crashes; and When Defective Products or Manufacturing Mistakes Cause Fatal Semi-Truck Crashes.
Injury Claims After A LaPorte County Truck Crash
In LaPorte County, semi-truck crashes may involve all sorts of accidents, from rollovers or jackknifes to rear-end, head-on, or undercarriage collisions. With the size and weight of the commercial trucks that rumble through LaPorte (especially on its two extra heavy-duty highways) any accident comes with a high risk of someone being severely injured or killed. Truck crash victims are also more likely to suffer life-altering injuries, such as:
- amputations
- burns and disfigurement
- central nervous system damage
- internal organ damage
- spinal cord injuries
- traumatic brain injuries.
Victims of a semi-truck accident in LaPorte County have legal rights to investigate and pursue civil claims for damages against all those companies and individuals who evidence will show caused the 18-wheeler accident and its aftermath.
For more, read: What To Do After Serious Semi-Truck Crash: Weeks and Months Following the Accident.
Medical expenses, lost wages, loss of consortium, pain and suffering, lost future earning capacity, psychological trauma, rehab costs, and more may be available to the victim and their loved ones independently from benefits provided by any worker’s compensation claim.
See:
- Truck Driver Hurt on the Job: Trucker Injuries in Chicago Semi-Truck Crash
- 10 Types of Injury Damages That May Be Awarded to Accident Victims
- 10 Types of Workers Compensation Benefits After a Work Accident in Illinois or Indiana.
LaPorte County has significant semi-truck traffic and with it comes an increased danger of a serious or fatal truck crash. Road construction work zones here only make things more risky. Please be careful out there!
