The driver of a car involved in a fatal crash in Evansville may have passed out behind the wheel.
A witness to the crash that killed two Evansville men tells the Courier and Press that the driver of the car that ran into a semi-trailer appeared unresponsive in the moments before the wreck.
She says the gold Lexus was speeding westbound on Washington Avenue, ran a red light at Highway 41, and collided with the truck. The top half of the car was sheered off by the semi’s trailer.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office identifies the victims as 21-year-old Jacob Nelson and 25-year-old Sean Malicoat, both of Evansville.
The witness says she saw the passenger in the car yelling at the driver to wake up just before the crash.
Nelson was driving and was thrown from the car. He died at the scene. Firefighters extricated Malicoat from the wreckage but he died a short time later at St. Mary’s Medical Center.
Police described the scene as grim. Sgt. Jason Cullum says he’s never seen such extreme damage to a car.