Sarah Reese
Northwest Indiana Times
GARY, Ind. — State police arrested a Wheaton man on drunken driving charges early Wednesday after he seriously injured a trooper when he plowed into the trooper’s car while police were investigating a separate crash on westbound I-80/94, officials said.
Cameron D. Geweniger, 30, refused medical treatment at the scene in Gary, refused field sobriety tests and chemical tests, and was taken to a hospital after police obtained a warrant for a blood test.
Indiana State Police Trooper Corey Adam was taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary with serious injuries, police said.
Adam was dispatched about midnight Tuesday to a single-car crash on westbound Interstate 80/94, about a quarter mile east of Burr Street.
He located a black Mercedes Benz that had struck a center median wall and come to rest partially in the left and left-center lane, police said.
Adam parked his marked Dodge Charger, with emergency lights on, behind the Mercedes. Troopers Dennis Griffin and Israel Rosillo parked farther behind Adam’s patrol car with emergency lights on, and activated about 15 flares in the road.
As the troopers were investigating, Griffin noticed a 2004 Chevrolet SUV speeding toward them in the left-center lane and attempted to yell to Adam to warn him. The SUV’s driver, Geweniger, struck Adam’s car, causing it to hit the Mercedes and the median wall, police said.
Rosillo was able to jump over the median barrier to avoid being stuck by Adams’ patrol car.
Griffin and Rosillo were able to extricate Adam, who was in the driver’s seat at the time of the crash, as his car leaked gasoline, police said.
Indiana State Police planned to present several possible charges against Geweniger to the Lake County prosecutor’s office, including operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury, a level 5 felony. Police also planned to seek misdemeanor counts of operating while intoxicated ]resisting law enforcement and reckless driving.
The interstate was closed for about five hours for crash investigation and cleanup, police said.
The Gary Police and Fire departments assisted at the scene.