3 children killed in I-65 semi crash in Northwest Indiana overnight; another child, driver critically injured

Three children were killed and one child and one adult were critically injured in a crash between a car and semi on I-65 in Northwest Indiana overnight Friday.

According to the Hobart Fire Department, they were called to a traffic crash overnight in the southbound lanes of I-65.

Indiana State Police said they responded to the crash at about 12 a.m. for a crash about a mile south of Ridge Road. 

State police said a blue Ford Explorer was blocking the right two lanes after rear-ending a white semi trailer at high speed. State police said the semi truck was parked on the right shoulder at the time of the crash to attend to a mechanical issue.

State police said they believe the driver, a 31-year-old woman from Gary, had fallen asleep while driving and drove off the road. The Explorer was catastrophically damaged at in the crash. The semi trailer was also damaged.

State police said there were four children in the car at the time of the crash, and three of them were killed. A child in the front passenger seat was ejected from the vehicle in the crash; two children in the second row of the explorer were also killed. The fourth child, who was in the middle seat of the third row of the Explorer, was taken my medical helicopter to University of Chicago Medical Center for possibly life-threatening injuries.

The driver was also critically injured and taken by ambulance to Franciscan Hospital in Crown Point for treatment, state police said.

State police said none of the children were "properly restrained," but since their ages have not been released it was not immediately clear if that meant they weren't wearing seatbelts or if they were not in car seats when they should have been. 

Lanes were shut down for hours because of the crash. Both the reconstruction team and Lake County, Indiana, Coroner's Office responded to the scene, Hobart fire officials said.

Indiana State Police said they believe alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. Charges against the driver are pending. 

The incident remains under investigation.