Prosecutors dropped charges this week against a Rensselaer man accused of fatally hitting a co-worker at the Cleveland Cliffs Indiana Harbor steel mill in East Chicago.
Nick A. Petersen, now 61, was charged Oct. 29, 2021, with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death to another person, a Level 4 felony.
Ironworker Ryan Briney, 40, of Portage, died from his injuries. He was a contractor working for Reftech International, documents state.
Deputy Prosecutor Jovanni Miramontes wrote in his motion that they couldn’t prove the case. A judge granted the request to dismiss on Sept. 19.
Police were called at 10 p.m. Aug. 21, 2021, to the mill where paramedics tried to save Briney’s life. He was transported to St. Catherine Hospital where he was pronounced dead, charges state.
Fourteen employees were nearby, but witnesses said they only saw a white truck driving away, the affidavit alleges.
Cleveland Cliffs provided a security video showing two men getting out of the truck at 9:54 p.m., just after the incident.
The truck’s front bumper was dented with blood stains, charges state. Reftech International owned the vehicle, documents state.
Police interviewed all Reftech International employees at the mill, who denied driving the truck, except Petersen.
A witness came forward Aug. 27 saying he was a passenger in the truck when Briney was hit, the affidavit states. The man said he didn’t realize anyone had been hit.
Petersen was interviewed at the East Chicago Police Station Sept. 14 with his lawyer Steven Mullins. He admitted driving the truck, but said “he did not realize that he had struck anyone or anything,” documents state.
Briney is survived by two children, according to his obituary. He was an “eccentric, free spirit” and devoted dad, his family wrote.
