Lafayette, IN – A trucker suffered serious injuries on Saturday after crashing into the rear of a big rig along an Indiana interstate.

According to Indiana State Police (ISP) investigators, the accident occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 near the 155 mile-marker.

Truck driver Semir Prijic, of Skokie, IL, had to be extricated from his 2005 Volvo semi after crashing into the rear of a 2020 Freightliner tractor-trailer.

ISP said a previous crash near the 165 mile-marker had backed up traffic for several miles when Prijic failed to slow and collided into the Freightliner at a “high rate of speed.”

Emergency crews were able to successfully extricate Prijic.

He was airlifted from the scene to a hospital in Indianapolis for treatment of what ISP described as “serious” injuries.

The driver of the Freightliner was not injured.

ISP did not say what is believed to have contributed to Prijic’s failure to stop.

The roadway was closed for approximately five hours for crash scene cleanup.

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