Lombard Mother of 2 Killed in Hit-and-Run on Indiana Interstate

FAIR OAKS, IN — A 30-year-old Lombard woman who stepped outside her SUV on an Indiana interstate to check on a noise coming from her vehicle was struck and killed by a passing semi truck Monday morning, police said.

Nika L. Trippi was partially thrown under her 2014 Chevrolet Suburban following the crash on southbound Interstate 65 in Jasper County, Indiana, according to an Illinois State Police news release. Trippi, an esthetician who formerly worked at Zazu Salon and Day Spa in Hinsdale, was pronounced dead at the scene of massive blunt-force trauma.

Meanwhile, Indiana State Police are searching for the semi, which never stopped following the crash and continued south on Interstate 65. The collision happened near the Fair Oaks exit at mile marker 219.7 at 10:45 a.m. Monday. Fair Oaks is located about 40 miles south of Gary, Indiana.

A witness described the the semi as an older model gray Freightliner, which was pulling an enclosed box trailer that was also gray, according to police.

Trippi’s SUV was pulled well off the roadway at the time of the collision and was not damaged. Trippi’s two minor children and her mother were inside the SUV at the time and were not injured, according to the news release.

Trippi has a YouTube channel where she posted makeup tutorials. She worked at ZaZu in Hinsdale up until she had her second daughter in 2014, a current ZaZu employee told Patch.

Her main focus in life was on her two children, Zazu salon owner Anthony Segretto told ABC 7.

"She lived for her children," Segretto said. "That was really her true passion, her two girls."

The family-owned salon has started an online fundraising page. As of Tuesday night, over $2,600 had been raised. The fundraiser is meant to bring in money for the future expenses of Trippi's daughters, Lena and Francesca.

Anyone with information concerning the crash or who has info about the semi should call Indiana State Police at 219-696-6242.

Photo credit: YouTube