TERRE HAUTE —
Not a week after reporting a spike in roadway fatalities this year, emergency responders were swamped with at least five accidents — and at least one fatality — believed to involve Interstate 70 on Tuesday evening.
Killed in the accident was Margaret Mathews, 73, Indianapolis, a passenger in the rear seat of a sport utility vehicle. She was pronounced deceased at the scene of blunt force trauma by Putnam County Deputy Coroner Steve Walters.
The fatal accident in Putnam County at the interstate’s 30-mile marker involved a 35-ton cement truck and a SUV, and injured two in addition to the deceased, said Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts. That crash occurred in the eastbound lanes at 4:14 p.m.
The cement truck, driven by William R. Lindeman, 51, Spencer, was traveling east on I-70 when it attempted to negotiate around a large section of freshly poured concrete in the eastbound driving lane. That square of soft concrete was reportedly 12 feet by 20 feet and 26 inches deep.
The left wheels of the cement truck appear to have dropped into the wet concrete, causing Lindeman to lose control, the report states. The truck, which was hauling cement and reportedly weighed about 70,000 pounds, then veered left and overturned onto an SUV.
The driver of the SUV, Georgia Mathews, 70, Indianapolis, and her husband, Willis Lee Mathews, 74, were in the front seat.
The SUV, according to the report, had been stopped in the eastbound passing lane because of construction.
Georgia Mathews was uninjured and freed herself from the SUV, while her husband remained trapped inside the vehicle for nearly 110 minutes before being extricated by the Washington Township and Cloverdale Township Fire Departments.
During the extrication, Curtis Wrecker Service had secured strap and chains to the cement truck and was able to lift some of the pressure off of the SUV. Willis Mathews was then airlifted by Air Evac helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment of lower leg and internal injuries. He was conscious during the entire extrication.
Seatbelts were reportedly in use by all in the Matthews vehicle.
Lindeman was taken to Putnam County Hospital for internal injuries not believed life-threatening.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Joe Watts had just finished performing first aid on victims from yet another accident about 8:30 p.m. when he was able to get back to finalizing reports involving the first from four hours prior.
Watts knew of four other accidents Tuesday night: one each at the 17-mile and 10-mile markers of the interstate, another just north of the Brazil exit on Indiana 59 and a fifth on U.S. 40.
At 9:40 p.m. at least one of the participants in the accident at the 17-mile marker had been transported to an Indianapolis hospital by air and his dog was reportedly killed.
“We want to constantly remind people that when they’re driving on an interstate system they need to be looking out ahead of them,” Watts said, adding investigators at that point were attributing some of the wrecks to the snarled lines of traffic backed up from the first near Putnam County.
Lines of traffic in the eastbound lanes could be observed from the Fruitridge Avenue overpass, nearly 20 miles away from the initial accident.
According to a media release issued by the Indiana Department of Transportation in May, a resurfacing project on Interstate 70 is scheduled through the end of July. The $6.3 million project awarded to Rieth-Riley has work under way from about six miles east of the Brazil exit to three miles west of Indiana 243. Lane restrictions are in place throughout the stretch.
Last week, Indiana State Police released reports demonstrating how deadly 2012 is shaping up to be.
Statewide, fatalities are up about 24 percent from 2011, and according to Putnamville District Commander Lt. Dan Jones, the rest of this year’s statistics are downright “alarming.”
“Statewide and locally, we are studying these districts and working to reverse that trend,” he said last week at a media conference where new speed-reduction initiatives were outlined.
Seventeen fatal accidents have been recorded in the Putnamville district — which includes Terre Haute — since January, just eight fewer than the 25 fatalities in the district for all of 2011. The number for all of 2010 was 35, according to information provided by the ISP.
Of the Wabash Valley fatalities, 12 involved single vehicles, while six involved people not wearing seatbelts. Most occurred between noon and midnight.
Tuesday evening, Watts said at least one of the night’s accidents involved people not wearing seatbelts and those individuals sustained some injuries.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
-
Shattered: A wrecker driver carries accident debris to a wrecked sport utility vehicle that rear-ended a semi trailer at about the 17-mile marker of I-70 on Tuesday evening. (Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis) Jim Avelis
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Long wait: Traffic on I-70 stretches west from the Fruitridge overpass toward US 41. A series of accidents kept the pace slowed a good part of the day Tuesday. Jim Avelis
-
Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Deadly day: An ambulance heads away from an accident on I-70 about 8 p.m. Tuesday. The accident, at about the 17 mile marker, was just one of several along the Interstate Tuesday. Jim Avelis
Discussion
Fatal night on I-70 claims life of Indianapolis woman
Cement truck rolled onto SUV she was riding in
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Lane restrictions next week on U.S. 41 at Shelburn
SHELBURN, Ind. – Motorists should expect minimal delays because of lane restrictions for U.S. 41 in Sullivan County next week as the railroad company makes repairs to the rail crossing 1.2 miles north of Shelburn.
-
Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.
-
UPDATE: Parke County homicide victim identified
ROSEDALE — The victim in a Parke County homicide that occurred last week has been identified as Kathryn A. Bays, 55, of Rosedale.
-
Court lets walk-out fines against House Democrats stand
INDIANAPOLIS — House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 18, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
Back home again: Items from vaudeville stage and Terre Haute native sent to Historical Society
The staff at the Vigo County Historical Museum are excited about the arrival of priceless items used by Terre Haute-native Rose Fehrenbach and her husband, Edward Pierce, to promote their Vaudeville acts in the early 20th century.
-
Husband charged in Archer homicide
Terre Haute Police have found local reports of domestic violence between a Terre Haute man and his wife, whose body was discovered wrapped in a tarp and dumped in an Ohio ditch.
-
National Road panels dedicated
Rewind to the mid-1800s, when the trotting of a horse and buggy on National Road could be heard alongside the voices of people heading west, searching for opportunities.
-
Pence sets agency priorities
Following a directive from Gov. Mike Pence, state agency heads are reorganizing some of their top priorities to better reflect the first-year governor’s “roadmap for Indiana” plan for improving the state’s economy, infrastructure and health.
-
Another I-70 traffic snarl: Three injured in two related crashes
Three people were injured Monday afternoon from a pair of crashes on Interstate 70 that temporarily closed the highway and diverted traffic into Terre Haute.
-
Terre Haute man still hospitalized after scooter/car crash
A Terre Haute man remained hospitalized Monday at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after his scooter struck a car early Saturday on Wabash Avenue at 25th Street.
-
Overpass repairs causing Interstate 70 lane restrictions
Repairs to the Frye Road overpass in southeastern Vigo County has caused a restriction to the left lane of Interstate 70 between the 13- and 14-mile markers, about two miles east of the Indiana 46 exit.
-
Indiana woman condemned for killing at 15 is freed
A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 for taking part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old Bible studies teacher was released from an Indiana prison Monday after growing to middle age behind bars.
-
Grant will let Vigo Library evaluate map collection
The Vigo County Public Library has received a $2,000 grant to evaluate its historic map collection, a library official announced Monday.
-
Four juveniles caught on elementary school roof; one injured jumping off
Police say a juvenile was lucky to have suffered only a broken leg after jumping from the roof of a Vigo County elementary school – dropping about 30 feet to the ground.
-
Farmersburg man sentenced after guilty plea in rape case
A Farmersburg man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a rape that occurred at his parents’ residence in May 2012.
-
Still no information being released on Rosedale homicide
No new information was being released Monday afternoon concerning a Rosedale homicide.
-
Woman condemned for killing at age 15 freed from Rockville prison
INDIANAPOLIS — A woman who was sentenced to death at age 16 for taking part in the torture and murder of a 78-year-old bible studies teacher was released from an Indiana prison today after growing to middle age behind bars.
-
UPDATE: All lanes of I-70 now open
All lanes of Interstate 70 in Vigo County are now open — as of 4:15 p.m. — after multiple crashes shut down the eastbound lanes temporarily this afternoon.
-
Quinn signs into law tough fracking regulations
CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation giving the state the nation’s strictest regulations for high-volume oil and gas drilling.
-
BREAKING: Arrest made in Archer homicide
A Terre Haute man has been arrested and charged with felony murder and altering the scene of a death in the homicide of his wife, Kayla Herchelroath Archer.
-
Frye Road Overpass work to restrict lanes on I-70
VIGO COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces the Frye Road Overpass construction will restrict the left lane on Interstate 70 between the 13- and 14-mile marker, beginning June 17. This lane restriction will be in effect for 24 hours a day for about two weeks.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: June 17, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, based on jail records.
-
Fathers take time out to spend quality time with children, grandchildren
A big, circular white cloud rose up through the tall atrium as Mike Woods held his 4-year son, Nathan, Sunday at the Terre Haute Children’s Museum.
-
On Friday, hit the park and raise funds for skateboarders
The On-board United Initiative — O.U.I. for short — has scheduled an all-ages fundraising event Friday in honor of national Go Skateboarding Day.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Sentencing law could benefit juveniles
Monica Foster is a longtime public defender who’s been pushing uphill in the legal system for a long time. So, when she says the General Assembly is making progress protecting the rights of the disenfranchised, it’s worth stopping to listen to her.
-
Mastering the art of Gardening
The Wabash Valley Master Gardeners group gathered over the weekend to marvel at each other’s gardens on its annual garden tour. The event was a chance for master gardeners to showcase their labor of love, meanwhile sharing stories about their plants.
-
RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: June 17, 2013
The Vigo County Health Department inspected the following food establishments May 28-31:
-
Lawn mower fire destroys barn
A lawn mower that caught fire was cited as the cause of a fire that destroyed a single story barn Sunday in the 2000 block of North Chamberlain Street, said Harold Osborn, assistant fire chief of the Lost Creek Township Fire Department.
-
Wabash Valley residents vie for spot on Wheel of Fortune
Ellen Fujawa of Zionsville wants to be on the popular syndicated Wheel of Fortune game show.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Lane restrictions next week on U.S. 41 at Shelburn
Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On'
Obama: US Has Helped Syrian Rebels
Robot Action Connected to Human Thought
California Cops Cruise on Stand-up Paddle Patrol
Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent'
Man Who Disrupted Flight Ranted About CIA
Feds: 7-Eleven Stores Exploited Immigrants
Transgender Candidate Running in NYC
Rain Damages Brazil Soccer Stadium
Raw: 100K Protesters Flood Brazilian Streets
Afghan Forces Take Afghanistan Security Lead
Falling Cable Hurts 10 NASCAR Fans
Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail
Iran's Rowhani Urges 'Path of Moderation'
Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights
Today in History June 18
Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck
Raw: Prince Philip Leaves Hospital After Surgery
Daughter: Mandela Doing 'Very Well'
Oklahoma City Thunder Players Tour Moore
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane
Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber
Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit
WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag
Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard
See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab
Sofia Vergara Posts Perky Backside Pic in Thong
Gaga Ditches Her Crazy Couture
Caught on Tape: Teacher Accused of Beating Autistic Child
"Stay Classy" Campaign Aims to Curb Binge Drinking
Sesame Street Tackling Tough Topic Parents in Jail
Miss Utah Fumbles Interview Question
Deranged man claims Newark-bound flight was poisoned
Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton Show Off Their Amazing Bikini Bodies
NBA FINALS: Spurs Win Game 5, Lead Series
Exclusive Clip: Jodi Arias: 'Dirty Little Secret'
Amphibious bus filled with tourists sinks
Best Bikini Abs
