A tragic collision in Monroe County yesterday has taken two lives, authorities reported. The incident occurred around 5:18 p.m. when two vehicles met head-on near the intersection of State Road 46 and Stinesville Road. The FOX59 news outlet stated that the driver of one vehicle was declared deceased at the scene, while the other, later identified as 62-year-old Cindy Bentley from Gosport, Indiana, succumbed to her injuries after being airlifted to IU Health Methodist Hospital.
Further details revealed by WTHR included the participation of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, who promptly arrived at the site just east of Stinesville Road on SR 46. Still being directed by the Sheriff's office, traffic was at a standstill as the wreckage sprawled across both lanes, ensuring the flow of vehicles came to a full stop until officials could clear the scene.
The Monroe County Coroner's Office is presently working to notify the next of kin before making the names of the deceased public. As traffic management efforts continued into the evening, with scenes of patrol cars and blinking lights weaving through the crash site, a somber reminder of the day's tragic events lingered in the air. The WISH-TV report emphasized that as late as 7:55 p.m. yesterday, the physical remnants of the collision were still in the process of being cleared.
Investigations by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office into the cause of the deadly accident are ongoing. With road closures continuing to impact SR 46 for hours after the crash, the community felt the weight of the loss. It was around 9 p.m. yesterday when Bentley's death was confirmed, as reported by WISH-TV, extending the list of losses and marking the end of a life in the wake of the calamitous event.
