Police: 3 Killed on Indiana Highway by Improperly Secured Steel Coil

Police in Orleans, Ind., say a steel coil wasn’t properly tied down when it fell from a truck and killed three people and injured a young girl on a southern Indiana highway.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department says the nearly 44,000-pound coil came off the semitrailer Jan. 11 on Indiana 37 near the town of Orleans.

The department said the coil struck a pickup truck driven by 22-year-old Zachary Staggs of Bedford, killing him and 21-year-old Shannon Steele of Jasper and injuring 11-year-old Mackenzie Taylor. She was taken by helicopter to Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky., where she was listed in fair condition.

The coil also hit a car, killing the driver, 41-year-old Michael Daugherty of Mitchell.

The semitrailer driver was given a ticket for having the coil improperly secured.