By Aubrey Woods
For The Republic
Two Medora residents were flown to Indianapolis hospitals after a one-vehicle wreck Sunday morning in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 near the Jonesville exit.
Five other people in the 1998 Ford Explorer Sport that crashed as the result of a tire malfunction were taken by ambulance to Columbus Regional Hospital, according to Sgt. Stephen Wheeles with the Indiana State Police Post at Versailles.
The most seriously hurt were Kristina McMurray, 35, and Dakota McMurray, 12, who both had critical injuries and were flown by helicopter to Indianapolis hospitals, the public information officer said.
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Kristina McMurray was a front seat passenger in the vehicle driven by Thomas McMurray, 33, who was treated and taken to Columbus Regional Hospital with serious injuries, Wheeles said.
Four other passengers, Paige McMurray, 15, Anthony Ragsdale, 16, Patricia McMurray, 11, and Ethan McMurray, 11, all sustained serious injuries and were transported to Columbus Regional Hospital, Wheeles said.
He said the seven were injured when Thomas McMurray lost control of the vehicle after the tire malfunction near the 56-mile marker. The vehicle spun, left the east side of the interstate, went down an embankment, overturned multiple times and came to rest on its roof in a field.
Wheele said it appears many of the occupants were not properly restrained, which resulted in some of the passengers being ejected from the vehicle. The vehicle also did not have enough seats or seat belts for all of the passengers, Wheeles said.
The northbound lanes were closed for about two hours for investigation by a state police crash reconstruction team and cleanup of the wreck, reported shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday.
The state police also investigated another property-damage wreck in the northbound lanes that occurred as traffic was backed up from the first crash, Wheeles said.
He said the investigation is ongoing and toxicology results are pending.
Officers with the Jackson County and Bartholomew County sheriff’s departments assisted along with those from Columbus and Seymour police departments. Others assisting included firefighters from Seymour and Columbus fire departments; personnel with Jackson County Emergency Medical Services and Columbus Regional Emergency Medical Services; Hampton’s Wrecker Service personnel; and Indiana Department of Transportation workers.
