Poland man dead, wife critically injured in early-morning Saturday crash

Saturday, February 23, 2019 ~ Updated 3:06 PM

CLOVERDALE — A Poland man was killed early Saturday morning in a fiery crash just east of Cloverdale.

The deceased man’s wife was critically injured in the crash.

At 12:25 a.m., emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene of a car that had flipped into a pole on County Road 1000 South just east of Cloverdale. Reports also indicated that people were trapped in the vehicle.

A Poland man was killed Saturday morning and his wife critically injured when he lost control of the car win which they were traveling, rolling several times and hitting a utility pole before the car caught fire.
Courtesy Putnam County Sheriff’s Department

Indiana State Police were the first on the scene and began CPR on a man, later identified as 36-year-old Curtis Keesee.

Keesee was later pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

His wife Heather Keesee, 30, was transported by StatFlight helicopter to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.

Heather Keesee was considered to be in critical condition.

Investigators say the vehicle was eastbound at a high rate of speed when Keesee apparently lost control, rolling over several times and striking a utility pole in the process.

The vehicle caught fire and was extinguished by the Cloverdale Township Fire Department.

Emergency responders had to extricate both people from the vehicle, though Curtis Keesee ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

Seat belts were not in use by either person.

The car was registered to Richard Baldwin of Cloverdale.

An investigation into contributing factors is ongoing by Putnam County deputies Riley Houghton and Robert Soilleux.

Indiana State Police are assisting with accident reconstruction.

Additional responders included Putnam County Operation Life, the Putnam County Coroner’s Office, Hendricks Power Cooperative and Curtis Towing.

Curtis Keesee’s body was transported to Terre Haute for an autopsy.

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  • That is awful. Prayers for Heather to pull through this. My heart is so heavy.

    -- Posted by mlooper on Sat, Feb 23, 2019, at 1:18 PM
  • My heart is broken. I pray for Heather to swiftly recover - and for prayers to surround their children and families with comfort.

    -- Posted by bethvahle1 on Sun, Feb 24, 2019, at 3:33 AM
  • So so sad. My heart goes out to this family. I pray that God helps Heather through this. So sad.

    -- Posted by Peterpan44 on Sun, Feb 24, 2019, at 3:12 PM
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