Man killed when car’s hood flips up, is rear-ended in East Chicago

A man was killed in a crash Friday after his car’s hood malfunctioned in northwest Indiana.

Clinton Miskel Jr., 27, was a passenger in a Ford Taurus traveling south on Cline Avenue in East Chicago when the vehicle’s hood lifted up and the driver slowed to a stop near Chicago Avenue, Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said in a statement.

Miskel’s vehicle was then rear-ended by a work van about 10 a.m., Martinez said. Miskel, of Harvey, was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries an hour later, the Lake County coroner’s office said.

The driver of the car was treated for a leg injury and possible concussion, Martinez said. The 26-year-old driver of the van was hospitalized with minor injuries.

The initial investigation indicated that both drivers may have violated traffic laws, Martinez said. The investigation into the crash in ongoing.