Indiana State Police photo
An icy roadway is being blamed for a single vehicle accident which left an Austin man critically injured Saturday after he lost control on the Moore Street overpass east of Crothersville, crashed through the guardrail and fell onto the northbound lane of I-65.
According to Indiana State Police Sgt. Brian Wilson, the accident occurred shortly after noon when Richard T. Coulter, 37, of Austin was westbound on County Road 600 (Moore Street) when he lost control of his 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer on the ice covered overpass.
Coulter’s vehicle broke through a metal guardrail on the south side of the road and fell into the northbound lanes of I-65. Coulter’s vehicle struck a 2014 Toyota SUV, driven by Charles G. Jahnke, 56, of Green Bay, Wisconsin that was traveling northbound on the interstate.
Coulter’s vehicle came to rest on its driver’s side in the middle of the northbound lanes of I-65. Jahnke’s vehicle came to rest on the shoulder.
Coulter was trapped inside the vehicle and had to be extricated by the Crothersville-Vernon Township Fire Department. He was transported to an Indianapolis area hospital with critical injuries. Jahnke was not injured in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation. Alcohol and drugs are not believed to be factors in the crash, Sgt. Wilson reported.
The northbound lanes of the interstate were shut down for nearly two hours for crash investigation and cleanup. The Indiana Department of Transportation also had a bridge inspector come to the scene to inspect the overpass before the roadway was opened.
Assisting at the scene were the Crothersville Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson County EMS, Crothersville-Vernon Township Fire Department, and the Indiana Department of Transportation.