(Decatur County, IN) – Multiple crashes on I-74 in Decatur County on Monday afternoon injured a number of people, including a first responder.
The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were dispatched around 3:21 p.m. to eastbound I-74 near mile marker 138.5 after Decatur County Communications received several calls about a wreck on the interstate.
Two pickup trucks, including one hauling a camper trailer, were in the median. The camper trailer overturned on its side and traffic was at complete stop.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation determined a pickup driven by Dereck McDaniel of Cincinnati was traveling in the left lane and drifted into the right lane.
The vehicle pulling the camper trailer, driven by Darrell Mills, of Kentucky was forced from the right lane into the emergency lane.
McDaniel’s truck then struck the camper trailer, causing Mill’s vehicle and the trailer to spin into the lanes of travel and trap McDaniel’s vehicle between Mill’s truck and the camper trailer.
All three vehicles entered the median and struck the cable barrier, where the camper trailer overturned.
Mills was taken to Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) before being flown to IU Methodist Hospital, where his condition remains unknown.
McDaniel got out of his vehicle on his own and was taken to DCMH for minor injuries and has since been released.
With traffic at a standstill for first responders and the cleanup effort, two secondary accidents happened.
Deputies say a semi-truck and trailer driven by Jonathan Burkman of Milford, Ohio was stopped in traffic near the 136 mile-marker in the right lane when a pickup truck driven by Isaac Siedling of Brookville struck the rear of the semi-trailer at a high rate of speed.
The impact caused the cab of the pickup truck to separate from the frame with Siedling still inside.
Investigators say the crash is believed to have been caused by driver distraction and failure to observe stopped traffic in time.
While responding to the secondary crash, two emergency vehicles made contact, resulting in one first responder sustaining minor injuries which required stitches.
I-74 reopened to traffic around 7:20 p.m.
Sheriff Bill Meyerrose is thanking all assisting agencies and organizations, including Decatur County Communications; Indiana State Police; Indiana State Excise Police; the Greensburg Fire Department; Decatur County EMS; Decatur County Memorial Hospital; Lifeline Helicopter; TDS Towing; Platinum Towing, and Tim’s Wrecker for their assistance during these incidents.
