Woman injured as crash closes Manhattan Road most of Friday morning

Friday, January 3, 2020
Responders work against darkness and wet weather early Friday morning in response to an early-morning crash on Manhattan Road that sent a Reelsville woman to a Terre Haute hospital and damaged a Duke power pole.
Courtesy photo/PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

An early-morning crash sent a Reelsville woman to a Terre Haute hospital and resulted in the closure of Manhattan Road for much of Friday morning.

At 3:08 a.m., 41-year-old Bernadette Powell was southbound on Manhattan Road near the entrance to Camp Friend when she apparently lost control of her vehicle on the wet roadway and left the driving surface.

The 2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer continued off the edge of the roadway for 500-600 feet, according to Deputy Randy Patrick of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.

A sheriff’s deputy investigates the damage to a Duke power pole following an early-morning Friday crash on Manhattan Road.
Courtesy photo/PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

The SUV struck a Duke Energy power pole and a section of wood fence at 4670 S. CR 325 West, rolling over at least once in the process.

Deputies arrived to find Powell conscious and alert. Putnam County EMS was called to the scene to render medical aid and transported Powell to Terre Haute Regional Hospital for immediate care.

Duke Energy was called to repair the damaged pole that took down power lines.

The road remained closed until from 3:28 a.m. to 8 a.m. Duke later returned to the scene to set the new pole, closing the road again until after noon.

The TrailBlazer was towed by Seniour’s Towing. Patrick estimated material damages at $10,000-$25,000.

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    Driving fast on Manhattan Road is a bad idea.

    Doing so when Manhattan Road is wet is just stupid.

    Wonder if alcohol was a factor?

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Fri, Jan 3, 2020, at 4:13 PM
  • Hmm. None of your comments were mentioned at all in this article dreadpiraroberts. Hmm. Could possibly the lady might have been working in a health care facility taking care of someone’s loved one and had to stay over into the wee hours? Could possibly have just been an accident. You always post such negative comments when we should all be praying for this lady and her injuries

    -- Posted by Nit on Fri, Jan 3, 2020, at 7:19 PM
  • dpr is just a hateful old man who has nothing else in his life but logging in here and saying the worst thing that comes to mind.

    -- Posted by techphcy on Fri, Jan 3, 2020, at 10:06 PM
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    I hope she is ok.

    I hope that it had nothing to do with alcohol. (it was a question, not an accusation.)

    Perhaps you two should work on your reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

    B/c if you actually read the story and then use your brain to extrapolate from listed facts, you too might have the same ponderings.

    It was 3am... about the time the bars close. It is not a "normal" time for a healthcare worker to be getting off of work. And yes, I know lots of healthcare professionals. None of their shifts end in this general time frame. Its possible that she wasn't at a bar, or that she only works at a bar, or any other number of possibilities. But when bad things happen around 3am, my first thought goes to the closing of the bars. (This is simply borne from witnessing such things in my life and is not an indictment of her. That's why I posed the question and did not simply assume. Maybe you should try to understand the difference.

    Her car went off the road 500-600ft...after snapping a utility pole. That's about two football fields in length. I would say that's a pretty good indication she was driving too fast, especially for conditions.

    If she was driving fast on Manhattan Road, it is likely she knows the road to a moderate degree as it has several curves, no shoulder, and is not a very forgiving road. A less familiar driver on wet pavement would've been driving slower. (Educated speculation on my part.)

    So, driving that fast on Manhattan Road is a bad idea. (Most people know better than to drive fast on that road.)

    Driving on Manhattan Road when its wet, and at 3am is pretty stupid. (My opinion bolstered by facts.)

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Mon, Jan 6, 2020, at 8:33 AM
  • *

    Should be "[D]riving fast on Manhattan Road when it is wet, and at 3am is pretty stupid."

    My omission of the word "FAST" in that last sentence does change context if read singularly and not just seen as a simple error that could be otherwise inferred.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Mon, Jan 6, 2020, at 9:49 AM
  • dreadpiraterpoberts -I'm just going to let you know 2-3 am is a common time for nursing staff to leave work. It's not as common as 6am, but I know quite a few nurses who work a 10-2 shift or 2-2 shift. Just saying. So it is still a possibility! :)

    -- Posted by momof2ingreencastle on Mon, Jan 6, 2020, at 1:49 PM
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    momof2, thank you.

    I do not waive the possibility, just discount it a bit.

    I have heard of 2pm-10pm shifts, and all the 12 hour shifts, but personally have never heard of a shift ending at/around 3am. And I know lots of nurses.

    But to be fair, none of them work in/around Greencastle.

    Honestly, I hope that alcohol wasn't a factor. Or any other distractions. I am a bit of a crusader in that respect, without apology.

    Even if she was stone cold sober, all indications point to the fact that she was driving too fast for road conditions. As I stated.

    And as she lives in Reelsville (and therefore likely takes Manhattan Road frequently), its possible she was nothing more than over-confident in her abilities.

    Either way, I hope she recovers.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Mon, Jan 6, 2020, at 3:33 PM
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