A Greenwood man died Sunday after he drove the wrong way on Interstate 65, injuring several people in the process and blocking traffic for several hours.
Christopher Kattman, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Indiana State Police responded at 1:09 a.m. Sunday to reports of a serious crash on I-65 southbound near Southport Road. When first responders arrived, they found several damaged vehicles and wreckage blocking all lanes of traffic, according to a state police news release.
Southbound I-65 was closed for six hours, according to reports.
A preliminary investigation determined Kattman’s passenger vehicle was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of I-65. The wrong-way vehicle struck an SUV head-on. Two other vehicles were struck after the initial impact, according to the news release.
First responders found Kattman unconscious, and later pronounced him dead at the scene, the news release said.
The driver of a SUV that was hit was trapped in their car, but responsive. That driver was cut from their car and taken by LifeLine to an area hospital. A passenger in another vehicle was taken by ambulance to a hospital, according to the news release.
State police is working with the Marion County Coroner’s Office and Indiana Department of Toxicology to determine if alcohol was a factor in the crash. All tests were pending, according to the news release.
Two other drivers were arrested at the scene, one for allegedly driving drunk into the crash site, the news release said.
That person drove around emergency vehicles into the crash site. When police ordered the driver to stop, the driver backed into a stationary fire truck. Police arrested the driver for operating while intoxicated, according to the news release.
Another driver in the backed-up traffic was found to be intoxicated and arrested as well, the news release said.
