Today at approximately 2:44 pm, Claude C. Combs, 65, Sheriff of Washington County, crashed his department issued vehicle.
The preliminary investigation revealed Sheriff Combs was travelling west on State Road 60 in rural Washington County, when just west of Henderson Park Road, he experienced a medical issue.
His issued vehicle, a black 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe, travelled across the east bound lanes, off of the roadway, striking a ditch and flipping several times before coming to rest.
Sheriff Combs was transported via ground ambulance to the St Vincent Hospital in Salem with non-life threatening injuries.
Sheriff Combs was wearing his seat belt.
Combs, who has been under the weather the past few days, had been running a low-grade fever and had received an antibiotic shot this morning at the county health clinic, according to Chief Deputy Sheriff Roger Newlon.
Newlon said he didn’t look good at the sheriff’s department and Combs noted he was going to go home and try to get some sleep.
Combs’ Chevy Tahoe left the road and flipped over in a ditch.
Newlon said the Indiana State Police are investigating the accident but Combs reported that he blacked out and only remembers he was driving home.
“A virus has been going around and it’s been hard to shake,” said Newlon. He anticipated the Sheriff would be released on Thursday after being observed the rest of this evening.
WSLM will update this story in the morning on the morning news.
