BLOOMINGTON – On Tuesday, November 8, at approximately 12:50 p.m. Troopers from the Indiana State Police Bloomington District responded to Old State Road 37 (South Walnut Street) and Orchard Lane to investigate a two-vehicle crash with serious injuries.
A Preliminary investigation by Trp. Jeremy Cox shows that a 1998 Oldsmobile SUV was traveling south on Walnut Street when the driver had to use evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision with a 1989 Chevrolet van that was attempting to turn into an adjacent driveway.
While attempting to avoid a rear-end collision, the Oldsmobile SUV side-swiped the Chevrolet Van in the same direction and then left the roadway.
Investigators believe the Oldsmobile became airborne and rolled before coming to a stop upright in a neighboring yard. After the impact and before the Oldsmobile SUV came to rest, the driver was ejected from the vehicle and found unconscious and unresponsive.
Despite life-saving efforts, 38-year-old Addam Eckert, of Springville, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Monroe County Coroner’s Office.
Investigators say Eckert was not wearing a seat belt and witnesses along with evidence at the scene have led investigators to determine that speed was a factor in the collision.
The driver of the Chevrolet van was uninjured, remained on scene, and fully cooperated with the investigation before he was transported to a local hospital for a blood draw that is required by drivers involved in a fatal crash. Toxicology results on both drivers are pending.
Assisting Trooper Cox at the scene were Troopers John Yung, Matt Harris, Kent Rohlfing, and Sgt. Ryan Miller, and Sgt. Ian Portteus of the Bloomington Post, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Ken’s Westside Towing, and the Monroe County Coroner’s Office.
