Several crashes block portions of Indiana Toll Road

Several crashes blocked traffic on different stretches of the Indiana Toll Road on Tuesday.

The crash happened a little before noon on Tuesday when two semis clipped one other near westbound mile marker 83 east of Mishawaka. At least two other drivers couldn't stop in time and crashed as well.

Shortly after, another crash at the same mile marker blocked traffic on the eastbound side of the road.

In total, Indiana State Police say these pileups resulted in seven crashes involving eight semi-tractor trailers and five passenger cars. All these crashes happened within a mile of each other. No serious injuries were reported in these crashes.

Police shut down the toll road for around three hours while they called in help to clear the road.

Many drivers were diverted, while others tried to turn around to find another route.

"I actually left early so I could get there on time. But as soon as I got on the toll road, the traffic stopped. And it's really frustrating," Sima Patel said. Patel was trying to get to a doctor's appointment.

"I just feel bad for anybody who has to use the bathroom, because we're stuck right now," Tony Linares from Chicago said.

"We had no serious injuries which is absolutely amazing when you look and see what type of scene we had," ISP Sgt. Ted Bohner said.

Mile marker 86 is between the exits for State Road 19 in Elkhart and State Road 331 in Mishawaka.

ISP says lake effect snow was to blame. They say the bands of heavy snow caused unexpectedly tough driving conditions, catching drivers off guard.