By Wade Coggeshall
A spokesman for the Hendricks County Sheriff’s Department said officers were dealing with a normal amount of vehicular accidents, given the weather conditions.
As of about 11 a.m. Thursday, Lt. James Yetter said there were reports of between five and seven car crashes in Hendricks County, along with several slide-offs.
“We’ve had some crashes, but nothing out of the ordinary for the amount of snow we’re getting,” Yetter said.
No serious injuries were reported. Yetter said one driver west of Avon on 10th Street complained of head pain after hitting her head on the steering wheel.
The sheriff’s department had the regular number of officers on patrol for the shift. Of those on the beat, they reported drivers in general seemed to be heeding the warnings of difficult driving conditions.
“It seems like they’re driving carefully, leaving extra distance between cars, and giving themselves more time to get to their destination,” Yetter said. “I think that’s what’s leading to the fact that we don’t have a ton of crashes.”
The National Weather Service in Indianapolis reported three inches of snow had fallen across central Indiana as of 10:40 a.m. Thursday. The back edge of the most intense snowfall in this storm system was approaching the Illinois/Indiana border around then. Another one to two inches of snow was possible for the area in the afternoon.
The Indiana State Police reported widespread travel difficulties. A semi driver was critically injured in a crash at the 64 mile-marker on Interstate 65. An ISP patrol car was struck on westbound I-70 in Hancock County, about two miles east of the Greenfield exit. The trooper was not injured. That portion of the interstate was closed while a semi was pulled from a ditch. Southbound I-65 at the 92 mile-marker in Johnson County was closed Thursday morning after a multi-vehicle crash resulting in injury. Traffic was diverted onto the Whiteland exit.
ISP officials have asked the public not to call them for inquires about road conditions so as to keep its lines open for emergency calls. Current road updates are available by calling (800) 261-7623 or by visiting the website at www.trafficwise.in.gov.
wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com
