By the Franklin Daily Journal
EDINBURGH, Ind. — An Edinburgh woman is dead and two were injured following a series of crashes north of town Friday night.
At about 7:55 p.m. Friday, Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies and Edinburgh Police responded to a crash at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Orchard Drive just north of town. Initial reports were that multiple vehicles were involved and several subjects were injured — including at least one serious injury, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
After arriving on the scene, law enforcement and fire personnel found a single occupant in one of the vehicles who was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was identified Saturday as Carole L. McKinney, 78, of Edinburgh.
An accident report released by the sheriff’s office Monday says that deputies believe McKinney’s vehicle had caused the accident. It also says that a total of five vehicles were involved.
McKinney was driving westbound on Orchard Drive when her SUV pulled out in front of a pickup truck with a trailer that was going northbound on U.S. 31. The driver of the truck did not have enough to stop, and hit McKinney’s car. The impact caused the trailer to disconnect from the truck and it detached in the other northbound lane, according to the accident report.
A third vehicle, an SUV, could not avoid hitting the trailer and ran into it head-on, causing heavy damage and forcing them into a ditch. The driver and the passenger of this vehicle had to be taken to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment, the report shows.
A second pickup truck, along with a small car, were also unable to avoid the trailer and drove into it. Damage was reported to both these vehicles as well, the report shows.
