“It’s a big miracle that nobody was seriously injured or even killed in this crash,” said Adam Hartman, a spokesman for the Fort Wayne Police Department
NEED TO KNOW
- Six people, including a pregnant woman, were injured after a semi-truck careened into a laundromat in Fort Wayne, Ind., on Tuesday, June 2
- It remains unclear why the truck crossed multiple lanes and exited the roadway, police said
- An investigation into the incident is ongoing
Six people were injured, including a pregnant woman, when a semi-truck crashed into a laundromat in northeast Indiana.
“It's a big miracle that nobody was seriously injured or even killed in this crash,” Adam Hartman, a spokesman for the Fort Wayne Police Department, told ABC affiliate WPTA following the collision in Fort Wayne on Tuesday, June 2.
The incident occurred Tuesday when a semi-truck traveling westbound on West Jefferson Boulevard crossed the center and eastbound lanes and exited the roadway before entering a laundromat parking lot, the Fort Wayne Police Department said in a statement.
The semi-truck, which was hauling a trailer, hit three vehicles parked directly in front of the business before crashing into the building. A pickup truck with two female passengers, one of whom was pregnant, was pushed slightly into the laundromat, police said.
“Both occupants sustained minor injuries,” officials continued. “An unoccupied SUV was pushed completely into the building, and another SUV was forced up against the building.”
By 1 p.m., officers were dispatched to the scene at the 2400 block of West Jefferson Boulevard, where they found the male driver of the semi-truck trapped inside the cab. First responders extricated him quickly.
Several people were inside the laundromat at the time of the crash, police said. The impact caused some customers to fall to the ground or get knocked into equipment when the semi-truck slammed into the building. People immediately began to help each other, with some carrying out a man who had been trapped under debris before the fire department arrived.
In total, the truck driver and five other people sustained injuries, officials said.
“Multiple people were transported to area hospitals, and medics on scene reported all patients were in good condition with minor injuries,” police said. “Both the building and the semi sustained significant damage.”
Amy Neher told WPTA that she went to the laundromat, Laundry Express, after learning that her daughter's best friend was in the pickup truck that had been struck. (It's unclear if the friend is the injured pregnant woman.)
“She's so shook up,” the woman told the outlet before heading to the hospital to check on the injured woman, who had “a lot of scrapes and bruising.”
Neher continued, “She really didn't say much other than they were sitting there waiting for her laundry to be done.”
Following a preliminary investigation, it remains unclear what caused the truck to cross multiple lanes and exit the roadway, police said. No other vehicle is believed to have contributed to the crash.
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There were no signs of impairment, and there were no charges filed against the truck driver as of Wednesday, June 3, a spokesperson for the Fort Wayne Police Department confirms to PEOPLE.
As the investigation continues, the Indiana State Police will assist by conducting a commercial vehicle inspection.
In the aftermath of the crash, Laundry Express is closed as the building and machines are repaired, WPTA reported.
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