A Greenwood man, 28-year-old Kodey Pitchford, was Life-lined to a nearby hospital following a single-vehicle crash early last month. According to the crash report, on the evening of May 7, Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Zaccary Sheppard, Lt. Colton Magner, Southern Brown Volunteer Fire Department and IU Health Life-line ambulance responded to the crash on Christiansburg Road. Dispatch advised to all responding units that the vehicle in the incident was flipped over on its side and everyone was out of the vehicle, the report said.

Upon arrival, Sheppard spoke to the caller. According to the report, she said she spoke with the Pitchford after the accident, who was across the road when she found him. Pitchford told the caller that he swerved for a turkey. The caller also said that Pitchford had mentioned being “really worried” about going to jail and allegedly didn’t want her to call the police, because he stated he was on probation and the vehicle was not his, the report said.

Before officers had arrived, Pitchford had been evaluated by medical personnel. According to the report, his head and face were bloody and his head was wrapped in medical gauze.

Sheppard reported that the vehicle Pitchford had been driving was flipped over on its passenger side. Pitchford also told the officers he was traveling north on Christiansburg Road when he swerved for a turkey, causing him to wreck.

According to the report, markings on or near the road indicated that Pitchford’s vehicle appeared to have run off the road on the passenger side initially before overcorrecting, which caused the vehicle to cross the road, hit an embankment, roll over and finally come to a rest on its passenger side. Sheppard reported that he learned at a later time that Pitchford had also been ejected from the vehicle at some point during the crash, before the vehicle rolled, the report said.

The vehicle suffered damage all around, along with the front windshield being cut out so the fire department could access the interior.

According to the report, there was allegedly a strong alcoholic odor detected by officers when they were speaking with him. Pitchford also allegedly admitted to the consumption of alcohol, but refused a preliminary breath test at the scene, the report said.

Pitchford was Life-lined to IU Methodist Hospital for his injuries and a warrant was obtained for a sample of his blood, according to the report. The vehicle was towed by Brown County Tire and photographs were taken. An inventory of the miscellaneous items within and outside of the vehicle was also collected.

Man allegedly speeds through turn, leaves road

A Morgantown man, 19-year-old Eli Wilkinson, was left injured following a single-vehicle crash last month. According to the crash report, Brown County deputies Joshua Bales and Oliver Hitz were dispatched to the scene on the afternoon of May 13. The crash took place on Clay Lick Road.

When Bales arrived, he reported that he saw a vehicle down an embankment on the east side of the road, facing west, which is perpendicular to the road. He also observed skid marks on the road from the west side leading north to the east side of the road, and then off the road to a tree, which appeared to have been struck by the vehicle. The final resting position of the vehicle was just north of the tree, according to the report.

Damage to the hood of the vehicle indicated to Bales that it had traveled east down the embankment and struck the tree, which caused the vehicle to spin around and face west, the report said.

Bales reported that he saw Wilkinson, who was the sole occupant and driver of the vehicle, seated on the west side of the road, being attended to by a female who advised she was EMT certified, according to the report. She allegedly stated that she did not witness the crash occur, but was heading south on the road and came across the aftermath of the crash, so she stopped to render aid to Wilkinson.

According to the report, Wilkinson was alert and talking but had a cut on his head which was bleeding and some superficial injuries to his left arm. Bales reported that he heard Wilkinson say that his vision was blurry at one point as well. Ambulance 231 arrived on scene shortly after Bales and Hitz and rendered aid to Wilkinson.

Bales spoke with Wilkinson about the crash, and according to the report, he told the officer he had been traveling north on Clay Lick Road, allegedly around 50 or 55 miles per hour. Wilkinson stated when he approached a curve in the road just south of the crash, he slowed to approximately 45 miles per hour, but entered the curve still traveling too fast, the report said. Wilkinson allegedly stated the speed of the vehicle caused him to drift off the east side of the road. He then over-corrected and came back onto the road in the wrong lane, then over-corrected again, sending the vehicle off the east side of the road and down an embankment, the report said. Wilkinson also told Bales that after going down the embankment, he struck a tree, causing his vehicle to spin around and face the opposite direction before coming to a rest.

The report states that Wilkinson was later transported to IU Health Bloomington for additional care.

Bales spoke with two witnesses of the crash, who were working nearby at CYO Camp Rancho Framasa at the time of the incident. According to the report, they told Bales they observed the vehicle going north on Clay Lick Road, heard tires screeching on pavement as Wilkinson came around the corner south of the scene, and then saw what appeared to be the vehicle flip. According to the report, both witnesses said they saw the bottom of the car from their position. They then saw the vehicle strike a tree before it came to a rest. Both witnesses said they approached the scene to render aid and call 911.

Al’s Paint &Body recovered and towed the vehicle. According to the report, the weather conditions at the time of the crash were dry and the road appeared to be free of debris upon Bales’ arrival. The posted speed limit on Clay lick Road at that location is 40 miles per hour, which Wilkinson allegedly stated he was traveling in excess of, the report said. According to Bales’ report, speed appeared to be the main contributing factor to the crash.