Charges filed against driver of mortuary van

Rescue personnel secure the scene of a one-vehicle accident Tuesday on Interstate 70 west of Cloverdale where a mortuary services van transporting a deceased person went off the roadway and crashed.

State Police photo

The owner of a Clinton funeral home is facing criminal charges for his alleged role in a May 16 crash on Interstate 70 in western Putnam County.

On Tuesday, the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office filed three misdemeanor charges against 49-year-old Matthew Fitzthum of Clinton.

Fitzthum faces a pair of Class A misdemeanors, driving while intoxicated endangering a person and driving with a BAC of .15 or more, as well as Class C misdemeanor reckless driving.

At 1:05 p.m. on May 16, Indiana State Troopers responded to a one-vehicle crash in the westbound lanes of I-70 about two miles west of the Putnamville exit.

The crash involved a mortuary services van transporting a deceased person.

The preliminary investigation revealed the 2013 Dodge Caravan, driven by Fitzthum, was westbound when it traveled off the roadway into the median, ultimately striking a tree.

Fitzthum was transported to Terre Haute Regional Hospital for treatment of multiple abrasions and pain.

A toxicology screen was performed and indicated Fitzthum's blood-alcohol level was .273 percent, more than three times the legal limit.

Fitzthum is scheduled to appear in Putnam County Superior Court on Sept. 19.

The crash was investigated by ISP Senior Trooper Bill Bradbury. Assisting were ISP sergeants Cory Robinson and Jared Nicoson, Cloverdale Town Marshal's Office, Putnam County Operation Life and Cloverdale Township Volunteer Fire Department.

Fitzthum is the owner of Simple Cremations and Burials in Clinton. According to a report from WTHITV 10 in Terre Haute, he has also been operating his business without a license to handle remains since December.