Early yesterday morning, an Indiana State Police trooper was injured after a pick-up truck collided with his cruiser on I-465. The incident occurred near Indianapolis's Allisonville Road exit around 4:07 a.m., while the trooper was on the scene of two prior accidents involving a jackknifed semi and a passenger car. The collision resulted in the trooper sustaining head and arm lacerations, which required medical attention at a local hospital, as reported by FOX59.
The trooper, identified as Keith Martin, was seated in his vehicle with the emergency lights activated at the time of the crash. Indiana State Police informed that after being released from the hospital later that day, Trooper Martin is now at home recovering. The incident was notable for marking the third time Trooper Martin has been hit by an impaired driver during his four-year career. In response to the recurring incidents, ISP Indianapolis District Commander Lt. Josh Watson made an appeal, saying, "Please stop crashing into our first responders," as stated in a Clinton County Daily News report.
The driver of the pick-up truck was apprehended at the scene and identified as 21-year-old Juan Cuatlacuatl of Indianapolis. He showed signs of impairment and was subsequently arrested on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing injury. Following the crash, the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-465 were closed for several hours to clean up the area, as noted by WIBC.
An off-duty Fortville Police Officer, Lee Carnish, also became involved in the incident when his vehicle was caught up in the wreckage. Officer Carnish, however, did not sustain any injuries. He had initially come upon the crashed semi on his off-duty time and stayed to assist Trooper Martin with the crash investigation and traffic control. While the subsequent arrest of Cuatlacuatl is based upon probable cause, all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, as the Clinton County Daily News reminds readers.
