Spencer County Sheriff’s Department
Rear-end collision
Jacob Keown, 46, of Tell City, was southbound on SR 545 near Grandview when several vehicles in front of him proceeded to slow for another vehicle making a left turn. Keown also slowed his vehicle, at which point his 2000 Pontiac Grand Am was struck from behind by a 2006 Cadillac Deville driven by 22-year-old Daniel Gayer, also of Tell City. Neither driver was injured in the February 14, 3:38 p.m. collision. Damage was estimated between $1,000-2,500.
Ran off road
At 5 p.m. on February 17, officers responded to a one-vehicle accident with the driver trapped in her flipped 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier on SR 545 near Santa Claus. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found the driver — identified as 30-year-old Samantha Burst of Cannelton — outside of her vehicle and complaining of head pain. Burst signed a refusal of treatment when EMS arrived at the scene. Burst told authorities she lost control of her vehicle and ran off the road. She then struck a ditch and an embankment, causing the Cavalier to flip onto its hood. Burst allegedly reported not getting much sleep that day and believed her tiredness may have contributed to the accident. Damages in the accident were estimated between $2,500-5,000.
Rear-end collision at roadwork scene
Megan Delashmutt, 32, of Grandview, was stopped for road construction on SR 66 near Rockport when her 2002 Ford Taurus was rear-ended by a 2013 Ford Focus driven by 16-year-old Damien Laguardia of Richland. Laguardia told authorities he was adjusting the volume on his radio right before the crash and that he did not notice the vehicle in front of him had stopped. No one was injured in the February 19, 3:12 p.m. collision, but damages were estimated between $2,500-5,000.
Run-off
Eighteen-year-old Ciara Hamilton of Owensboro, KY, was southbound on SR 161 near Rockport when, she later told authorities, the passenger in the front seat of her 2003 Dodge Caravan began choking. While reaching over and attempting to help the passenger, Hamilton ran off the road and down an embankment. Her vehicle came to a stop in the wood line and floodwater. No one was injured in the February 21, 12:16 p.m. accident, but Hamilton was cited for driving without insurance. Damage to her vehicle was estimated between $5,000-10,000.
Strikes ditch after run-off
Joseph Anton, 41, of Owensboro, KY, was eastbound on SR 66 near Rockport when he hit a slick spot on the roadway due to rainfall and lost control of his 2013 Chevrolet Camaro. His car then spun around in the roadway and ran off the road into a ditch. Anton was not injured in the February 24, 1:07 p.m. accident, and damage to his vehicle was estimated to be under $1,000.
Right angle collision
Celina Goffinet, 20, of Cannelton, was westbound on SR 66 near Rockport when a 2008 Ford F350 driven by 40-year-old Jason Raaf of Rockport pulled into her path from the intersection of SR 66 and CR 200 W. According to the report, weather conditions at the time of the accident were rainy and foggy, and Raaf advised officers he did not see Goffinet’s 2010 Ford Edge when he started to cross the lanes of traffic. Goffinet was then unable to avoid hitting Raaf’s vehicle as it entered SR 66. Both drivers declined EMS treatment, and damages in the February 25, 9:20 a.m. collision were estimated between $5,000-10,000.
