MITCHELL – A Salem man was killed in a two-vehicle accident on Monday morning, on State Road 60 at the intersection of Noe Road.
According to a Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department report, the accident was reported at 11:20 a.m.
When officers and medical personnel arrived they found a red Mack dump truck loaded with gravel and a silver Ford Edge off the south side of the roadway.
According to police, the dump truck owned by Flynn & Sons Excavating & Paving Inc. and driven by 63-year-old Larry Hawkins, of Springville, was traveling west on State Road 60 East when a vehicle stopped to turn onto Noe Road. Police say Hawkins was traveling too fast to stop. The dump truck left his lane of travel going around stopped traffic into oncoming traffic where he collided with a Ford Edge SUV, driven by 44-year-old Gilbert Morgan, of Salem, head-on. Both vehicles then went over an embankment and off the roadway.
Police say Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another driver and his passenger told police they were traveling west on State Road 60 East and had stopped to turn south onto Noe Road when the dump truck came up behind them at a high rate of speed and could not stop. This resulted in the dump truck leaving his lane of traveling and crashing head-on with the Ford SUV.
A driver who was following the dump truck told police the dump truck driver was traveling too fast and couldn’t stop and left his lane of travel and hit the Ford SUV head-on.
Hawkins told police he was traveling west on State Road 60 West and was approaching the stopped vehicle and couldn’t stop and had to go around the stopped traffic which resulted in him hitting the other vehicle head-on.
Hawkins was transported to IU Health Hospital for a blood draw those results are pending. Hawkins was not injured in the accident.
The dump truck was towed by Ken’s Westside Towing and the Ford was towed from the scene by Mikels Towing and Recovery LLC.
The roadway was closed for several hours while police investigated the accident.
