3 vehicle accident causes major injuries and closed road

The Bloomington Police Department investigated a major traffic accident at the intersections of Vernal Pike and State Road 37 involving three cars on July 14 at approximately 9:20 p.m., a press release from Capt. Joe Qualters said.

On July 14, the BPD was dispatched to a traffic accident involving a tractor trailer at the intersection of Vernal Pike and SR 37.

When officers arrived, they found a tractor trailer hauling fuel lying on its side south of the intersection and a gray passenger car with severe rear-end damage off of the roadway on the east side.

At the time, the investigation has determined that the gray passenger vehicle was stopped at the traffic light, southbound on SR 37, when the tractor trailer failed to stop at the light and ran into the rear end of the passenger vehicle, the press release said.

The driver of the tractor trailer, a 48-year-old female, told police that she was feeling ill and did not remember the accident. She was treated for minor injuries at IU Health Bloomington Hospital.

The driver of the gray passenger vehicle, a 45-year-old female, suffered serious injuries and was transported to Methodist Hospital. The 14-year-old female passenger also suffered serious injuries and was transported to Riley Hospital.

The third vehicle, another passenger car, was also struck in the accident resulting in minor damage to the vehicle and the 57-year-old female driver, the press release said.

The accident caused a major fuel spill and State Road 37 was closed to all traffic for more than 12 hours while the scene was investigated and cleaned. At this time the highway is open to southbound traffic, however the northbound traffic is still restricted while cleanup continues.

The accident is still under investigation by the BPD and currently no charges have been filed, the press release said.

– Samantha Felix