AUBURN, Ind. (ADAMS) – Indiana State Police think an extension ladder that wasn’t properly secured caused a crash on I-69 Monday morning that shut down a portion of the interstate. Around 9:30 a.m., troopers responded to the 326-mile marker on the northbound side close to CR 11 A.
Once they were there, troopers found a dump truck on its side with two people stuck inside. There was also gravel strewn across the roadway as a result of the crash.
The two men in the truck were assisted out of the wreckage and explained to troopers how the crash happened. They said there was a ladder in the middle of the roadway and when the driver Jacob Bluhm, 29, of Fort Wayne, tried to avoid hitting it the load on his truck shifted and caused the truck to roll over.
It took around two hours to clear the roadway. Police say this is a good reminder to always properly secure “items (such as extension ladders), whether on rooftop racks or in cargo beds, are always properly secured during transport.”
Indiana State Police released the following on Monday’s crash:
Monday morning at approximately 9:30 am Troopers responded to a reported rollover crash blocking northbound traffic on I-69 near the 326mm, just north of the CR11A exit, DeKalb County. Upon arrival officers found a single Isuzu dump style truck on it’s side blocking northbound traffic, with what appeared to gravel strewn all across the roadway. The driver and passenger were trapped inside the overturned wreckage, but appeared to be uninjured.
Master Trooper James Bailey’s preliminary investigation reported that a 2003 Isuzu dump truck, operated by Jacob Bluhm, 29, of Fort Wayne, was traveling northbound on I-69 in the right lane. An 8ft extension ladder was laying in the roadway ahead of Bluhm’s vehicle. Bluhm attempted evasive action to avoid hitting the ladder, but his truck’s right front tire struck the ladder and lifted the right side of the truck off the ground. The load of limestone in the dump bed shifted, which contributed to the force and momentum which overturned the truck onto it’s passenger side.
Both Bluhm and his passenger, Christopher Lewis (25) from LaGrange, were eventually assisted out of the wreckage by first responders and found to be uninjured. Thankfully both men were properly restrained at the time of the crash.
The crash had the northbound lanes of I-69 closed for nearly two hours while crews from Parker’s Wrecker Service worked to remove the vehicle and debris from the interstate. Traffic flow was restored at approximately 11:30am.
This crash is a prime example of the need for motorists to always ensure that items (such as extension ladders), whether on roof top racks or in cargo beds, are always properly secured during transport. This crash was a preventable- had that extension ladder been transported securely- and unnecessarily resulted in thousands of dollars in property damage, delayed commerce, and easily could have resulted in personal injury or loss of life.
M/Trooper Bailey was assisted at scene by multiple troopers from the Fort Wayne Post, the Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department, Garrett Police Department, Dekalb County EMS, Auburn Fire Department, and Parker’s Wrecker Service.
