A close-up photo of police lights by night
VERSAILLES — Indiana State Police said an Elizabethtown man died in an accident at 4 p.m. Saturday on State Road 129, south of Versailles.
The initial investigation by Master Trooper Ben Bastin indicated that a blue 2006 Ford F-350, being driven by Rebecca R. Ashcraft, 68, Vevay, was traveling northbound on State Road 129 near Benham Road in Ripley County.
For an unknown reason, Ashcraft’s vehicle crossed the centerline into the path of a southbound silver 2015 Ford Escape, being driven by Lenord R. Sheldon Jr., 66, Elizabethtown. The vehicles collided head-on in the southbound lanes of State Road 129.
As a result of the collision, Sheldon sustained fatal injuries. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Ripley County Coroner’s Office. Lenord Sheldon’s wife, Beth A. Sheldon, 59, who was a passenger in his vehicle, sustained serious injuries. She was transported by medical helicopter to University of Cincinnati Hospital for further treatment. Ashcraft was transported to Margaret Mary Hospital in Batesville, Indiana where she was treated for minor injuries.
The investigation is ongoing. Toxicology results are pending at this time.
Bastin was assisted by crash reconstructionists from the Indiana State Police-Versailles and Sellersburg Posts as well as numerous additional troopers from the ISP-Versailles Post.
The Ripley County Sheriff’s Department, Holton Police Department, Versailles Fire Department, Ripley County EMS, Stat Flight, and the Ripley County Coroner’s Office also assisted.
