Several were injured, but there were no fatalities, in a vehicle collision that occurred Tuesday around 2:15 p.m. on Indiana State Road 46, east of Bloomington, Indiana, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Some commenters on Facebook were saying several died as a result of the collision, but it isn’t accurate.
The Bloomingtonian reached out to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and deputies were still busy finishing the investigation Tuesday evening but provided information early Wednesday. MCSO Lt. Troy Thomas confirmed Tuesday evening there were no fatalities.
According to Sgt. Bennett who sent more information early Wednesday, several were injured in a collision involving three vehicles and were transported to IU Health Bloomington. Two of the vehicles were inverted when first responders arrived, and the Monroe Fire Protection District posted several photos.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=329000682671735&set=pcb.329001326005004
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office released the following:
“The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office responded to East State Road 46 and East Woodview Drive near the Monroe / Brown County line at approximately 2:15 PM to multiple reports of a collision involving two vehicles that were inverted on their roofs. Prior to Sheriff’s Deputies arriving, additional calls were received indicating that a third vehicle was involved and multiple people were injured.
Upon arriving at the scene, deputies located a 2012 Subaru Forester and a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox that had collided head on and rolled over into a roadside creek onto their roofs. A male and female in the Chevrolet sustained minor injuries and a juvenile passenger in the vehicle was uninjured. A male and female in the Subaru sustained a broken shoulder and serious internal/abdominal injuries, respectively. A 2014 Dodge Ram was located approximately 120 feet east of the other vehicles and had rolled over and landed partially in the roadside creek. The male and female inside the Dodge sustained minor injuries. All occupants were transported to IU Health Bloomington Hospital to receive treatment for their injuries.
Witness statements and physical evidence recovered at the scene indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox was westbound towards Bloomington when it crossed over the center divider line into the eastbound lanes and first collided with the rear half of the Dodge. The Chevrolet then collided with the Subaru in a large overlap frontal collision. All occupants were wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision and the juvenile was properly secured in a child safety seat.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstructionist responded to the scene and is actively investigating the cause of the collision. Toxicology results are pending.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Indiana State Police, Monroe Fire Protection District, and Lifeline Medical Transport Services.
Special Note:
Multiple online sources are spreading misinformation indicating that the driver of the Chevrolet had a diabetic episode that caused the collision and that multiple fatalities occurred. It is unclear where this information originated, however, no medical episode has been identified as a contributing cause to the collision and the front passenger of the Subaru is undergoing surgery for serious internal/abdominal injuries.”
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Editor’s note: The Bloomingtonian knew about the accident, but due to the location, and difficulty accessing the area around the Monroe/Brown County line blocked with traffic. A decision was made not to attempt to go to the scene. First responders had the road closed for an extended amount of time while dealing with the collision. An EMT could be heard on the scanner having a difficult time getting to the crash location in an ambulance to help the injured, but nothing indicated the accident was a fatality. Sometimes it’s better to stay out of the way of first responders when a scene is potentially hazardous to access. A decision is always made about whether a scene is safe to cover, if it will hinder the work of first responders, and/or if proximity will prevent arriving in a timely manner to report at the scene.
We wish anybody injured a speedy recovery.
