Chesterton Man dies in 2-vehicle crash on I-80 in Lake County

CROWN POINT, Ind. (WISH) — A Chesterton man was killed early Saturday morning in a two-vehicle crash on I-80 in Lake County, Indiana State Police said in a news release.

At 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Indiana State Police troopers were dispatched to a crash that occurred on I-80/94 eastbound lanes near the 8.0-mile marker. This location is between Burr Street and Grant Street. Initial reports were that a passenger vehicle had rear-ended a bucket truck. A trooper arrived on scene and located the vehicles, and observed that the car had rear-ended the bucket truck at a high rate of speed.

Investigators believe the car, a 2024 Honda Civic, had been driving eastbound on the interstate when the driver, for unknown reasons, left the roadway and rear-ended the truck. The driver of the Honda was located in the car, but was unresponsive when troopers arrived at the scene. Troopers and first responders attempted to render first aid, but they were unsuccessful.

The Lake County Coroner’s Office later declared the driver of the Honda dead at the scene. The driver of the truck was not injured.

Preliminary investigation showed that the driver of the box truck had stopped the truck on the right emergency shoulder due to it sustaining a mechanical failure, and was not drivable. For safety, the driver of the truck had placed orange cones on the side of the road and behind the truck. As he was sitting in the cab of the truck, he felt the impact from the car rear-ending his vehicle.

The driver of the Honda was identified as Corey Stephen Nicholas, 36, of Chesterton. Nicholas’ family has been notified. An autopsy and toxicology tests are pending further investigation by the Lake County Coroner’s Office. The driver of the truck was not impaired. The Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Team also responded to the scene to assist.