Spencer County Sheriff’s Department
Sideswipe on I-64
Michael Beach, 54, of Oakland City, was eastbound on I-64 near Dale when, he later told authorities, the vehicles in front of him suddenly stopped, and he swerved into the median to avoid hitting them. Beach’s 2003 Toyota Tundra then struck another vehicle as it turned onto the emergency crossover. Beach informed authorities the driver of the other vehicle gave him a piece of paper with her name and phone number on it before leaving the scene. According to the report, the officer attempted to call the number Beach was given several times to get the other driver’s information but got a busy signal each time. Beach was not injured in the October 26, 9:01 a.m. accident, but damages were estimated between $5,000-10,000.
Rear-end collision
Gregory Steffen, 50, of Birdseye, was attempting to turn off SR 162 near Santa Claus onto County Road 950 E when his 1988 Chevrolet was struck from behind by a 2013 Mazda driven by 25-year-old Dylan Popplewell of Ferdinand. Popplewell later told authorities he did not see Steffen turning until it was too late to initiate his brakes. No one was injured in the October 28, 5:18 a.m. collision, but damages were estimated between $25,000-50,000.
Driver strikes TV in roadway
Richard Winstead, 62, of Huntingburg, was westbound on Highway 66 near the intersection of SR 70 in Richland when he noticed a box in the middle of the road. Though Wintead was able to avoid striking the box, he instead hit a television that was behind the box. The television was dragged under Winstead’s 2013 Hyundai Elantra before he was able to stop, damaging his vehicle’s drivetrain. Damage to Winstead’s vehicle in the October 31, 3:46 p.m. accident was estimated between $1,000-2,500.
Ran off road
Benjamin Ioakimides, 36, of Owensboro, KY, was southbound on SR 161 near Rockport when, he later told authorities, he swerved to avoid hitting an object in the roadway and traveled across the centerline and eventually into a ditch. His vehicle then encountered a driveway culvert, drove over it and into a yard before coming to a rest. Ioakimides was not injured in the November 1, 5:40 p.m. crash, but damage to his 2014 Ford Fusion was estimated between $5,000-10,000.
