Speed, Not Wearing Seatbelts Are Factors
Five people are dead after the Ford SUV in which they were riding overturned multiple times early last Friday.
At around 2 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of single-vehicle crash on North Main Street near Rose Walk Drive, just north of the Scottsburg city limits. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Black 2002 Ford Explorer in a field to the east side of the roadway.
The vehicle had extensive damage, and multiple occupants had been ejected. The sheriff’s department requested the assistance of Indiana State Police crash investigators.
Two of the seven occupants were trapped inside the vehicle requiring extrication before being taken to Scott County Memorial Hospital. Both were then flown to University of Louisville (U of L) Hospital and are reported to be in stable condition.
According to ISP Sgt. Carey Huls, the preliminary investigation indicates that the Ford Explorer was southbound on Main St. approaching Rose Walk Drive. For an unknown reason, the vehicle left the east side of the roadway at a high rate of speed. The SUV overturned several times before coming to rest in an upright position facing north in a field on the east side of Main Street.
“None of the seven occupants were wearing a seatbelt, and all five of the ejected occupants were pronounced dead at the scene,” Huls reported.
Killed in the crash were
•Jeremiah James Akers, 18, of Deputy;
•Christopher Paul Dry, 18, of Scottsburg;
•Elizabeth Michelle Wagner, 20, Lexington;
•Sarah Starling, 16, of New Albany;
•Wandella Marie Brown, 22, of Scottsburg.
It is believed Brown was the driver at the time of the crash, Huls said.
Owner of the SUV, Adam Wayne Parker, 20, of Austin and Shelby Lynn Griffin, 21, of Texas were flown to U of L Hospital and reported to be in stable condition.
This crash is still under investigation, Huls said.