An Austin man was critically injured after his SUV crashed through a guardrail, off of a bridge and landed on Interstate 65 in southern Jackson County Saturday.
37-year-old Richard T. Coulter had to be cut from his vehicle after the crash on the icy bridge on Jackson County Road 600 South just after noon Saturday. He was taken to an Indianapolis area hospital with critical injuries, says Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the Indiana State Police.
Wheeles says that the initial investigation indicates that Coulter lost control on the ice-covered overpass, sending his vehicle through the guardrail and onto the northbound lanes of the highway, where it struck an SUV driven by 56-year-old, Charles G. Jahnke of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Jahnke was uninjured in the accidents.
The crash remains under investigation.
The northbound lanes of I-65 were shut down for nearly two hours for crash investigation and cleanup. The Indiana Department of Transportation also had a bridge inspector come to the scene to inspect the overpass before the roadway was opened.
The Indiana State Police was assisted by the Crothersville Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson County EMS, Vernon Township Fire Department, and the Indiana Department of Transportation.