Decatur County crash injures drivers, shuts interstate down for 4 hours

DECATUR COUNTY, Ind. — A crash involving several vehicles Monday afternoon injured many people, including a first responder. According to a press release posted by the Decatur County Sheriff's Office, officers were dispatched to Interstate 74 eastbound for the report of a multi-vehicle crash. At approximately 3:30 p.m., officers arrived at mile marker 138, a mile from the Greensburg area, to discover two pickup trucks within the median. According to officers, one truck had a trailer attachment that had been overturned on its side. Officers responded quickly, pulling the driver of the truck with the trailer out of his vehicle, where medics on scene transported him to a local area hospital. He was then flown to IU Methodist, where his condition remains unknown. According to DSCO, the other truck driver was able to get out on his own and was transported to an area hospital for minor injuries. He has since been released. According to a preliminary investigation, it is believed that the first pickup driver veered from the left lane and into the right lane for an unknown reason. This caused the truck with the trailer to go into the emergency lane. The first driver then struck the trailer and pushed the vehicles into the median, hitting the cable barrier. As traffic remained at a standstill for first responders and cleanup crews, two secondary accidents occurred. According to officers, a semi-truck driver was stopped in the traffic near the crash site when he was rearended by a pickup truck at a high rate of speed. The cab of the pickup truck was separated from the frame as a result of the impact. Both drivers were checked out by medics on scene. Officers believe the pickup driver was at fault most likely due to failure to observe stopped traffic. According to DCSO, the driver was cited on scene for distracted driving. While the response team rushed to the secondary crash, two emergency vehicles collided, injuring one first responder. They were later medically cleared after receiving several stitches. I-74 eastbound was reopened approximately four hours later.