AUSTIN – An early morning crash on I-65 turned deadly this morning when the driver was struck after exiting his car.
Around 2:50 a.m. Monday, morning, 911 calls reported a semi-truck had struck a person in the roadway on I-65 northbound near the 33 mile-marker, just south of the Austin exit.
Austin Indiana Police and Indiana State Troopers were the first to arrive on-scene.
When they arrived, they found 25-year-old Stefan Porch of Matteson, Illinois, deceased after being struck by a northbound semi-truck.
Officers then requested an Indiana State Police crash reconstruction team to assist in the investigation.
After the preliminary investigation, investigators believe Porch was traveling northbound in a silver 2020 Kia Forte with five passengers in his vehicle. The Kia then collided with a second vehicle, possibly the rear of a northbound tractor-trailer or box truck.
At this time, it appears the second vehicle did not stop and continued from the scene.
The vehicle Porch was driving came to a stop in the roadway, and he exited the vehicle stepping into the path of a northbound semi-truck. The driver of the semi, Barbaro Trizan Cuellar, of Louisville, KY, was unable to avoid striking Porch.
Cuellar was not injured in crash.
All passengers in the car were taken by ambulance to Scott Memorial hospital for any possible injuries from the initial crash. No significant injuries were reported.
This crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information regarding the second vehicle is asked to contact the Indiana State Police Sellersburg Post. Â
Indiana State Police Troopers were assisted by the Austin Police Department, The Scott County Sheriff’s Department, The Scottsburg Fire Department, and the Austin Fire Department.
