Driver charged for SR 37, Vernal Pike crash Sunday

The Bloomington Police Department investigated a major traffic accident Sunday at the intersections of Vernal Pike and State Road 37 involving three cars, a press release from BPD Capt. Joe Qualters said.

The BPD was dispatched to the accident and found a tractor-trailer hauling fuel lying on its side and a gray 2001 Toyota Camry with severe rear-end damage off of the road.

The investigation determined the Camry 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 collision caused the truck to overturn and spill more than 1,000 gallons of fuel it was hauling.

The collision also left the passengers of the Camry in critical condition, closed lanes of traffic and required cleanup of the aftermath.

48-year-old Tammy McGee, the tractor-trailer driver, told police she was feeling ill and did not remember the accident.

She was taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries and had her blood drawn for toxicology testing, a standard procedure for serious accidents.

Police did not find signs McGee was intoxicated at the time of the crash, but have since issued citations for disregarding an automatic signal, driving too fast to avoid a collision as well as following too close in a tractor-trailer rig.

Cynthia Ault, 45, who was driving the Camry was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital and her 14-year-old daughter, Josie Ault, was taken to Riley Hospital for Children for serious injuries following the crash.

A 2007 Cadillac Escalade, driven by 57-year-old Debra Keith, was also struck in the accident. Keith was treated at a hospital and released.

As of Tuesday morning, all lanes of traffic on SR 36 near Vernal Pike have been opened.

— Samantha Felix