Thanks to an alert passerby, five members of a Scott County family were rescued from their overturned truck in a water-filled ditch on Crothersville Road east of Crothersville in Scott County.
According to Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin, ISP Trooper Tracy Spencer was called to the scene of a one-vehicle crash around 4:20 p.m. near the intersection of Jack Morgan Road and Crothersville Road last Wednesday, Feb. 26.
When he arrived at the scene he found out a 2001 four door Chevrolet S-10 pickup had traveling east on Crothersville Road. For an unknown reason small truck crossed over into the west bound lane of traffic leaving the roadway and striking a tree on the north side of the road. The vehicle then overturned and came to rest in a water filled ditch.
A local resident discovered the crash when he got out of his vehicle to move the tree that had been struck by the S-10 pickup. As the resident was removing the tree he heard children yelling for help. He walked over to the edge of the roadway and observed the vehicle overturned. He assisted three children and a male adult out of the vehicle however; the vehicle’s driver was still trapped.
Police officers, firefighters with the Jennings Township VFD and local residents, with the help of a Good Samaritan’s backhoe, were able to lift the vehicle up and out of the water so the trapped male driver could be rescued.
Goodin reported that Chris Caudill, 33, from DuPont, was the driver. He was transported to the University of Louisville Hospital.
Passengers in the vehicle, Mark Caudill, 31, from DuPont, Ellie Caudill, 8, and Emma Caudill, 5, both of Austin were all transported to the Scott County Memorial Hospital by Scott County E.M.S.
A fifth passenger, Kaitleen Caudill, 9, Austin, was transported by air ambulance to the Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville. All of the occupants of the crashed vehicle except for Emma Caudill, were wearing seat belts and all of the occupants are being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
