AUSTIN – A fatal two-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Road 256 and US 31 in Austin claimed the life of a six-year-old child on Tuesday evening.
At approximately 8:42 p.m. on May 13th, officers from the Austin Police Department and the Scott County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene. The Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Team was called in and is leading the ongoing investigation.
Preliminary findings indicate that a 2022 white Toyota Camry was traveling westbound on State Road 256. The driver proceeded into the intersection on a green light to turn south onto US 31. Simultaneously, a 2008 Chrysler 300, driven by Dorothy J. Snell, 23, of Hanover, was traveling northbound on US 31. Investigators believe Snell disregarded a red light and entered the intersection without stopping, colliding with the turning Toyota.
The driver and a passenger in the Toyota sustained injuries and were transported to the University of Louisville Hospital. Authorities report that their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Snell, the driver of the Chrysler, was taken to Norton Scott Hospital in Scottsburg with non-life-threatening injuries. The front passenger of the Chrysler was also transported to the University of Louisville Hospital and is expected to recover. A two-year-old child who was in the rear passenger seat of the Chrysler was taken to Norton Scott Hospital and is also expected to survive.
However, tragedy struck when a six-year-old child, also a rear passenger in the Chrysler, was transported to Norton Scott Hospital but succumbed to her injuries.
The Indiana State Police investigation is actively underway. A key aspect of the investigation will be to determine if the deceased child was properly secured in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The Indiana Department of Child Services is also conducting an independent investigation into the incident. Authorities suspect that alcohol played a role in the collision, and toxicology results are currently pending.
The Austin Police Department, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Scott County EMS, and the Scott County Coroner’s Office assisted at the scene.
The community mourns the loss of the young life and awaits further details as the investigation progresses.
