A car crash Friday night on State Road 144 just across the Johnson County line claimed the life of a Spencer woman and injured three other people.
The three-car collision was reported about 9 p.m. Friday on State Road 144, just west of State Road 37 in Morgan County. The accident report and names of those involved were released Tuesday, four days after the crash.
Two drivers involved in the crash, Jacob Dotts, 26, of Indianapolis, and Teresa Monier, 38, of Camby, were trapped in their vehicles and transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital with serious injuries, according to an accident report from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. Dotts sustained a chest injury and was knocked unconscious. Monier sustained an injury in the lower extremity. Dotts is still listed in critical condition. IU Health did not have information about Monier’s condition, a spokesperson said Wednesday.
Two passengers in Dotts’ vehicle, Tabitha Price, 25, of Spencer, and a 7-year-old, also of Spencer, were seriously injured. Price died Saturday, according to the report. The minor sustained an injury in the lower extremity.
A third driver, Christopher Baker, 47, of Indianapolis, was not injured in the crash, the report said.
Witnesses say a sport utility vehicle driven by Dotts was left of center multiple times travelling west on State Road 144. While traveling across the State Road 144 bridge over the White River, the vehicle went left of center again, striking a trailer attached to a truck driven by Baker, according to the report.
After the initial collision, Dotts’ SUV continued into the left lane and struck another SUV driven by Monier. Monier’s vehicle was pushed up the low concrete wall of the bridge and the rear wheels were left dangling over the side of the bridge, the report said.
Both Dotts and Monier were given blood alcohol tests. The results were still pending Wednesday, according to the report.
Both SUVs were mangled, and firefighters had to extricate the drivers, said Mike Pruitt, assistant chief of the Bargersville Community Fire Department.
Due to her vehicle’s precarious position, it took firefighters about an hour to free Monier, Pruitt said. The situation was further complicated due to the extreme heat and logistics of conducting an extrication on a bridge, he said.
Bargersville Community Fire Department, which recently entered into a contract to serve Harrison Township in Morgan County, led the rescue with mutual aid from Morgan County EMS, Madison Township, White River Township, Mooresville and Brown Township fire departments.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office also assisted Morgan County in the law enforcement response to the accident.
