A Columbus North High School student and an Edinburgh businessman remained hospitalized Monday as the result of a two-vehicle accident in front of the Armuth Acres subdivision north of Columbus.
A passenger in one of the vehicles, Elijah Kuhfahl, 15, of Hartsville, suffered internal injuries and a broken collarbone, and was in critical condition Monday at IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Tim Dillingham, 50, of Columbus, a passenger in the other vehicle, was in stable condition at Methodist following the 2:36 p.m. Sunday collision at North Marr Road and County Road 600N.
Dillingham underwent a two-hour surgery Monday for broken ribs, a broken disc in the vertebrae and neck injuries, but his injuries are not life-threatening, said his son-in-law, Bartholomew County Clerk Jay Phelps.
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Dillingham, who ran an unsuccessful 2012 campaign for Bartholomew County commissioner, has frequently preached at First Baptist Church in Hope, as well as the St. Louis Crossing Independent Methodist Church, Phelps said.
While his wife, Kim Dillingham, 53, was also taken to the Indianapolis medical facility, she was released by mid-morning Monday, said Trooper Edward Olibo of the Indiana State Police, who investigated the accident.
Also injured was the Dillingham’s granddaughter, Chloie Phelps, 8, of Columbus, the daughter of Jay and Emily Phelps, Olibo said.
While the girl suffered injuries to her torso and foot, as well as a chipped tooth, Chloie was released about noon Monday from Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and “was in great spirits,” her father said.
Kuhfah was a passenger in a 2013 Silver Mazd, driven by Parker Maggette, 17, of Columbus, Olibo said. Maggett told investigators he was unfamiliar with both the road and the vehicle, which he did not own, the trooper said.
Maggette also said his vision was hampered by rain and a foggy windshield when his westbound car on County Road 600N ran a stop sign, striking the northbound van on Marr Road driven by Kim Dillingham, the officer said.
The impact caused the Dillinghams’ 2016 Kia van to roll multiple times, smashing through the brick Armuth Acres sign before coming to rest on its top, Olibo said.
Despite her own injuries, Kim Dillingham was able to break a window and get her granddaughter out of the wreckage, Jay Phelps wrote on his Facebook page.
However, Tim Dillingham, operations manager of Ditech Inc. in Edinburgh, a family business, was briefly trapped in the backseat before being extricated by first responders from both Clifford and Columbus, Phelps wrote.
Maggette and a second passenger, identified as Brandon Fifer, 17, of Columbus, were both treated at Columbus Regional Hospital and released, Olibo said.
Since Tim Dillingham is a reserve deputy for the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police was placed in charge of the investigation, sheriff’s department spokeswoman Judy Jackson said.
A citation for failure to yield the right of way was issued to Maggette, Olibo said.
Sheriff’s deputies and Columbus city officers assisted Olibo, as well as units from both the Clifford and Columbus fire departments.
