IU student killed in car wreck

Senior Jonathon Fillippo was ready for the next step in his life.\nHe was less than an hour away from Bloomington, ready to return to school for his last two weeks before graduation. He had just finished an internship with the VanBuren Township Fire Department and was about to pursue his life goal of becoming a firefighter in Chicago.\nBut that was cut short Friday night as Fillippo was killed when a car struck him along I-65 in Indianapolis.\nFillippo, a 22-year-old Valparaiso resident, was driving on I-65 near 71st Street in Indianapolis when he lost control of his truck on the icy overpass and collided with two other vehicles, said Indiana State Police Communications Officer Jason McIntyre. As Fillippo was stepping out of his truck to see if the other drivers were okay, he slipped on ice and was struck from behind by another out-of-control car.\nOlivia Harris, 49, of Dalton, Ill., had been driving her gray 2002 Ford when she slid off the road and struck Fillippo at about 5:45 p.m., McIntyre said.\nFillippo was taken by helicopter to Methodist Hospital. The coroner was called at 7:03 p.m., after Fillippo died of massive trauma, McIntyre said.\nFillippo's younger brother, Christian, a senior, said he didn't get to see his brother for Thanksgiving. He said Fillippo went home to Valparaiso for Thanksgiving break while he went to Wisconsin to visit his girlfriend. \nHe said his brother was excited about getting a new truck, so he left for Bloomington a little early to beat the dangerous road conditions.\nChristian said he spent a lot of time with his brother at IU. He roomed with Jonathon and three other guys and would always fish, hunt or just watch the Chicago Bears with his friends. \n"He was a really goofy guy," he said. "He'd always be making weird faces and noises, and he was really a lively guy. It's kind of hard for me to put into words at the moment."\nChristian described his brother as an "adrenaline junkie," who rode his motorcycle a lot and enjoyed driving fast, going outdoors and sky diving.\nFillippo's mother, Linda, said her son was dedicated to becoming a firefighter. She said he turned down many job offers to pursue his internship with the VanBuren Township Fire Department.\nShe said he was very close to everyone at the fire station and put in long hours to make a good impression on the department.\n"Being a firefighter was always his dream as long as I can remember," she said. "He was going to be very successful in his field."\nOne of Fillippo's roommates, Justin Hart, a senior, said Fillippo was always a guy who he could come to with his problems.\n"He brought the best out of every person," he said. "You could talk to him about any issues you had. Jon was just a guy you can go to if you need anything."\nChristian said his brother was always supportive of his band.\n"Jon would always come to see my band perform -- even though he really wasn't into that kind of music," he said.\nMcIntyre said a high volume of traffic during the holiday weekend on top of icy conditions were the reasons why the accident occurred. He said no other major accidents were reported, but there were several minor accidents during the weekend.\nISP Officer Damon Martin, who took the report, did not detain Harris and the report did not mention any questionable actions on her part, McIntyre said.\nFillippo's family requested donations be made to the VanBuren Township Fire Department, located at 2130 S. Kirby Rd. in Bloomington. Funeral service details were not disclosed.\n-- Contact Campus editor Adam Aasen at aaasen@indiana.edu.