By Christina M. Wright
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. —
A three-year-old boy was thrown from a van during an Interstate 69 accident Thursday at about 5 p.m. He landed in the middle of the highway, but suffered no life threatening injuries, an Anderson Police Department spokesman said.
“He’s going to be alright, just a broken collar bone,” said Sgt. Bill Casey. “That’s a miracle.”
Casey said Christy M. Jenson, 32, was driving home to McCordsville from Ft. Wayne when she suddenly lost control of her 2003 Dodge Caravan at the 26 mile-marker.
The van fishtailed and bounced off of the median guardrail three times before coming to a stop, according to police.
The child was flung through a rear window onto the highway, Casey said, into the path of a semi-truck driver and about 1,000 feet from where the van came to rest.
“He was able to stop his truck, braking hard, to avoid hitting the kid,” Casey said.
Casey said unidentified good samaritans should be thanked for helping stabilize the child until emergency personnel arrived. The boy could be heard over the police scanner crying loudly.
No one else was injured, according to police.
Deputy Chief Dave Cravens, a spokesman for the Anderson Fire Department, said the child was flown by helicopter to Methodist Hospital. Police were informed at about 9:45 p.m. that the toddler would be OK, Casey said.
Police do not suspect drugs or alcohol, and are looking into a possibility that a medical condition caused Jenson to crash, Casey said. Three other children in the van were buckled in their seats, Casey said, leading police to suspect that the toddler may have unbuckled his seat belt.
Two other accidents Thursday closed portions of Interstate 69 in the Madison County area, but police say motorists in each case escaped serious injury.
Rollover injuries minor
A local man escaped a rollover crash on Interstate 69 Thursday afternoon with minor injuries, police said.
Senior Trooper Dave Poynter of the Indiana State Police said Robert Wilson, Jr., 29, of Daleville, was driving northbound on Interstate 69 near the 31 mile-marker when he lost control of his 1998 Dodge Durango.
Poynter said Wilson reported that another driver was braking ahead of him just before the crash.
Wilson said he swerved to the right to change lanes but a tractor trailer blocked his path so he over-corrected his vehicle, flipping the Durango into the median between the northbound and southbound lanes.
Witnesses initially called police dispatch and reported that the crash took place near the 26 mile-marker, leading police to believe there were two simultaneous crashes along the interstate.
Poynter said Wilson was alert and talking to first responders at the scene and appeared to have suffered minor cuts and scratches.
Chesterfield firefighters pulled Wilson from his wrecked Durango and transported him to Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie.
Police closed the left lane of southbound Interstate 69 near the crash to allow emergency personnel access to the scene. The lane reopened after 30 minutes, Poynter reported.
Semis collide
Indiana State Police say a distracted trucker drove into the back of another semitrailer, causing a crash that closed part of Interstate 69 for several hours.
The crash happened about 5 a.m. Thursday just north of the interchange with Indiana 22 near Gas City, about midway between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.
State police say a semi hauling auto parts had just pulled onto the highway when it was struck from behind. One of the semis was destroyed by a fire, and other vehicles were damaged by debris from the crash.
Troopers ticketed the trucker for driving too fast to avoid a collision. He was taken to a Marion hospital with minor injuries. Crews needed about seven hours to fully reopen the highway.
Herald Bulletin Reporter Brandi Watters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
