Two vehicles are pictured following a crash into an embankment at the T-intersection of County Roads 300 South and 600 West, just before 3:36 a.m. Saturday. A young adult male died and a Trafalgar police officer was injured following the accident.
Photos provided by Johnson County Sheriff’s Office
Accidents reported Friday night and Saturday morning resulted in three injuries and one death. Two of those injured were local law enforcement officers.
Traffic stop turned deadly Saturday
A young adult male died and a Trafalgar police officer was injured following a crash into an embankment at the T-intersection of County Roads 300 South and 600 West, just before 3:36 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release from Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
The Trafalgar officer was at the intersection of State Road 135 and County Road 300 South when he witnessed a dark-colored pickup truck disregard the east/west stop sign at the intersection, the release says.
The officer followed the truck onto County Road 300 South and activated his emergency lights in an attempt to make a traffic stop. When the vehicles continued the road until they made it to the intersection of County Road 300 South and 600 West, where they failed to stop and crashed into the embankment, the release says.
The officer immediately radioed for help. Both the officer and the driver had to be extricated from their vehicles, the release says.
The pickup truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The officer will likely survive the crash but will have a long road of recovery ahead of him, said Duane Burgess, Johnson County sheriff.
The officer was transported to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital via Lifeline Helicopter. The officer reported back, hip, leg and internal injuries, he is listed in serious , but stable condition, the release says.
Names of those involved are not being released yet, but will be released later, Burgess said.
The crash occurred about three miles away from the location where the officer witnessed the traffic violation. The circumstances behind the crash are still under investigation, Burgess said.
“We are still gathering facts and we are still trying to determine what happened,” Burgess said.
This accident is not the first that intersection, and it is particularly prone to accidents after dark. The T-intersection is an abrupt stop in an area with no lighting, Burgess said.
JCSO, Bargersville Police, Trafalgar Fire Department, Bargersville Community Fire Department and the Johnson County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene.
Further information will be released at a later time.
JCSO officer injured Friday
A Johnson County deputy was injured in an accident at the intersection of Worthsville Road and Collins Road around 10 p.m. Friday. The deputy was on his way to serve a civil order to an individual in the Greenwood area, according to a press release from JCSO.
The deputy was driving his marked vehicle when another vehicle turned into the path of the deputy who had the right away, the release says.
The deputy was transported to IU Methodist Hospital complaining of pain. The deputy had already been released and was home resting on Saturday morning, Burgess said.
The driver that hit the deputy also complained of pain but Burgess is not aware if the driver was transported to a hospital, he said.
