Shortly before 11:00 am on Sunday, emergency personnel from numerous departments responded to a serious personal injury crash on I-65 northbound near the 56 mile marker in northern Jackson County.
As a result of the crash, seven people were transported from the scene for treatment of serious and critical injuries.
The initial investigation by the Indiana State Police-Versailles Crash Reconstruction Team indicated that a black 1998 Ford Explorer Sport being driven by Thomas McMurray, 33 year old male, Medora, Indiana was traveling northbound on I-65 near the 56 mile marker.
Evidence from the scene indicated that a tire on the vehicle malfunctioned causing McMurray to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle spun before leaving the east side of the roadway. The vehicle then overturned and rolled into a field where it came to rest.
At this time, it appears that many of the occupants of the vehicle were not properly restrained resulting in some of the passengers being ejected from the vehicle.
The vehicle also did not have enough seats or seatbelts for all the passengers. Thomas McMurray was transported by ambulance to Columbus Regional Hospital with serious injuries.
The front passenger, Kristina McMurray, 35 year old female, Medora, Indiana was flown to an Indianapolis hospital with critical injuries. A second passenger, Dakota McMurray, 12 year old female, was also flown to an Indianapolis hospital with critical injuries.
Four other passengers, Paige McMurray, 15 year old female, Anthony Ragsdale, 16 year old male, Patricia McMurray, 11 year old female, and Ethan McMurray, 11 year old male, were all transported by ambulance to Columbus Regional Hospital with serious injuries.
Toxicology results are pending at this time. The investigation is ongoing.
I-65 Northbound was closed for approximately two hours for crash investigation and cleanup. The Indiana State Police investigated a second property damage crash that occurred on I-65 Northbound near the 55 mile marker in the traffic backup from the initial crash.
The Indiana State Police was assisted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Columbus Police Department, Seymour Police Department, Columbus Regional EMS, Jackson County EMS, Seymour Fire Department, Columbus Fire Department, Hampton’s Wrecker Service, and the Indiana Department of Transportation.
