BEDFORD – A Tennessee man died from injuries sustained in a crash on Thursday, Christmas Day, after he attempted to flee from law enforcement.
Trooper Jesse Crane observed a 2014 Buick Regal traveling through the SR37/SR54 intersection in Lawrence County and turning into the grass median before traveling northbound on SR37. Trooper Crane followed the vehicle on SR37 as the driver exhibited behavior that appeared consistent with impairment. Trooper Crane activated his red/blue emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop north of the Trogdon Lane intersection, but the driver, identified as John M. Pillen, Age 53, of Columbia, Tennessee, refused to stop. Trooper Crane activated his siren to alert Pillen, but he still refused to stop and continued northbound.
Pillen turned right onto Old SR37 at the SR37/Old SR37 intersection, south of the Lawrence and Monroe County Line, and traveled southbound. Vehicle speeds were 30-40 miles per hour, but Pillen refused to stop until the intersection of Old SR37 and Kentucky Hollow Road. Trooper Crane, with assistance from Troopers Alexander MacKenzie Alexander and Logan McDowell, attempted a felony stop by giving verbal commands to the driver. Pillen shifted the Buick Regal in reverse and struck Trooper Crane’s patrol vehicle. Pillen struck Trooper Crane’s patrol vehicle a second time and then fled the scene.
Pillen traveled northbound on Old SR 37, and Trooper Crane made two attempts to initiate a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) in an effort to de-escalate the pursuit, but was unsuccessful before Pillen accelerated to speeds around 70 miles per hour. He traveled through the Old SR37 and SR37 intersection, which had been shut down for northbound and southbound traffic on SR37 by deputies from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, and continued northbound, north of the Sieboldt Quarry Road intersection, veering into the southbound lane. Pillen’s Regal traveled left of center and struck a southbound utility truck that had pulled over for the approaching emergency vehicles.
Trooper Crane and Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office Captain Anthony Pope attempted to provide medical assistance, including the application of two tourniquets. Pillen was transported to the Indiana University Bloomington Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. An Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionist was contacted in order to conduct an investigation. Detectives will also conduct a death investigation.
Attempts were made to notify family members, but were unsuccessful.
