MITCHELL – Salem man loses his life after a two-vehicle accident on State Road 37.
On Wednesday at approximately 3:15 p.m., officers from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a multi-vehicle crash along State Road 37, near Dixie Highway.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the crash involved a passenger car and a wrecker towing another vehicle.
The preliminary investigation revealed that a 2007 Ford Focus was exiting the car dealership, located on the east side of State Road 37, to turn left (south) onto SR 37. At the same time, a 2015 Ford wrecker was traveling north in the right lane of SR 37, approaching the exit for the dealership.
The driver of the Ford Focus failed to yield the right of way and began to cross the northbound lanes of SR 37 in front of the wrecker. The wrecker changed lanes moving into the left lane but was unable to avoid colliding with the Focus.
The impact forced the Focus in a northeast direction, where it came to rest off the east side of SR 37. The wrecker came to rest partially in the median and partially in the northbound lanes of SR 37.
The driver of the Ford Focus, 66-year-old Timothy Mahuron of Salem, was freed from the vehicle and then flown from the scene by medical helicopter. Unfortunately, Mahuron died as a result of his injuries sustained in the crash. His passenger, 48-year-old Krista Elbe, of Salem, who suffered internal injuries was also airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment.
The driver of the wrecker, owned by A-1 Towing of Seymour, was 60-year-old Terrence Pompey, of Spencer. Pompey was not injured. However, his passenger, 25-year-old Emma Corley, of Springville, complained of abdomen pain and was transported by ambulance to IU Health Hospital in Bedford for treatment.Â
As required by state law in all serious bodily injury and fatal crashes, Pompey consented to a blood draw. Those toxicology results are pending.
Lawrence County Sergeant Michael Williams was the investigating officer. Lawrence County Detective Michael Ramos is reconstructing the crash. Williams and Ramos were assisted by Lawrence County Officer Travis Atchison and Captain Andy Blackburn. Assisting agencies included the Indiana State Police, Marion Township Fire Department, Bedford Fire Department Rescue, IU Health Lifeline Ambulance (both Bedford and Orange County), StatFlight Air Ambulance, Lifeline Air Evac, and Mikels Towing Service.
