4:15 p.m. UPDATE:
The Bartholomew County Sheriff Department said the I-65 northbound lanes are now open.
The sheriff’s department has identified the two people in the passenger car as Blaine Pheral, 21, Columbus, and Rachelle Pheral, 22, Columbus. Both were transported to Columbus Regional Hospital. They were treated for minor injuries, the sheriff’s department said.
4 P.M. UPDATE:
An Indianapolis man is dead following a vehicle crash on I-65 near the U.S. 31 interchange in Taylorsville at about 10 a.m. Thursday. James Warren Oden, Jr., 49, was pronounced dead on the scene by Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting. He had been the driver of a semi that collided with a passenger vehicle. Mr. Oden’s cause of death was blunt force trauma. The crash is under investigation by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office.
ORIGINAL STORY
COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew County Sheriff deputies said the shutdown of the northbound I-65 lanes may continue for some time as investigation and cleanup continues at the 76 mile marker near Edinburgh.
The accident involved a collision between semi with a tanker hauling what is believed to be powdered concrete, and a passenger vehicle at the 76 mile marker, said Sheriff Chief Deputy Maj. Chris Lane. Two people were injured and one person is listed as a fatality.
The accident is believed to have occurred around 10 a.m. Thursday and traffic is being diverted to northbound U.S. 31 while the interstate closure continues.
The sheriff’s department will notify the media when the interstate is reopened, Lane said.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Bartholomew County Sheriff Department and the Indiana State Police have shut down the northbound lanes of I-65 at the 76 mile marker, which is Edinburgh, for a possible fatal accident. Motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible.
