Authorities allege a Rensselaer man fatally hit a co-worker with a truck at the Cleveland Cliffs Indiana Harbor steel mill in East Chicago last summer.

Nick A. Peterson, 60, was arrested May 23 and posted a $3,400 cash bond, court records show. He was charged Oct. 29, 2021, with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death to another person, a level 4 felony. It carries a possible penalty from 2 to 12 years.

Ironworker Ryan Briney, 40, of Portage, died from his injuries. He was a contractor working for Reftech International, documents state.

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 told police they only saw a white truck driving away, the affidavit alleges.

Police returned to the mill Aug. 22 after a man said he found a white truck that was possibly involved.

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 Peterson.

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.

Peterson 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.