Ambulance accident on I-70 sends three to hospital

A CARE Ambulance was involved in a one-vehicle accident Wednesday morning on Interstate 70 in Putnam County.

A one-vehicle accident involving an ambulance Wednesday morning on Interstate 70 in Putnam County sent three patients to the hospital, Indiana State Police at Putnamville reported.

At around 8:30 a.m., ISP Trooper Michael Wood was dispatched to an accident involving a CARE Ambulance near the 35-mile marker of I-70, six miles west of Cloverdale.

The investigation revealed the ambulance was eastbound on I-70 when it lost control on the icy roadway and went into the median, striking an earthen embankment.

The ambulance then rolled over multiple times, Trooper Wood reported.

Driver Steven Jackson, 40, of Clinton, and the other medic, Tom Washburn, 33, of Toledo, Ill., were transported to Putnam County Hospital with minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the patient, Erik Sheffler, 21, of Terre Haute, was transported to Union Hospital in Terre Haute with minor injuries.

Assisting Trooper Wood at the scene were Troopers Dave Cox Jr., Master Trooper Matt Ames, Cloverdale Fire Department and Putnam County Operation Life.

The ambulance accident was one of several occurring on the interstate Wednesday as cold, wind and blowing snow combined to cause havoc along Interstate 70 in western Indiana, especially east of Cloverdale.

At least three separate crashes were reported in the eastbound lanes of I-70 in the 45- to 46-mile marker area, four to five miles east of Cloverdale, but only minor injuries were noted.

Besides these accidents in eastern Putnam County, Putnamville troopers responded to more than two dozen accidents along I-70 between midnight and 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Those included 24 property-damage crashes, two personal-injury crashes (only minor injuries) and four slideoffs.

The concentration of the crashes was in Vigo County between the state line and the seven-mile marker. That seven-mile stretch was the site of multiple crashes involving commercial motor vehicles and passenger cars.

In one particular crash near the six-mile marker, an SUV traveled over the guardrail and into a wooded area. The driver sustained a minor cut and his three-year-old daughter received no injuries due to her being properly restrained in a child safety seat.

I-70 was down to one lane numerous times and was only closed for a few minutes at various times to upright overturned vehicles.

The overwhelming cause of most crashes, State Police Sgt. Joe Watts noted, was drivers not slowing down for the slick and hazardous interstate.