BEDFORD – A Bedford man was killed in a three-vehicle accident Monday at State Road 37 and John Williams Boulevard at 11:44 a.m.
Prior to arrival, officers were advised that it was a fatal accident. Upon arrival, Bedford Police Major Jeremy Bridges noticed a vehicle damaged on its side along with a vehicle in the median with damage and individuals standing near both vehicles.
Bridges then noticed a body covered with a blanket on the shoulder of the roadway. He checked on the body to confirm no lifesaving measures were needed. Once Major Bridges determined nothing could be done medically to help the man, he had Officers Clint Swanson and Derek Blackwell begin gathering information from the drivers and witnesses.
According to a Bedford police report, 65-year-old Michael Wright, of Bedford, was standing in front of his 1985 Jeep Wrangler which was disabled in the left southbound lane of State Road 37. The hood to Wright’s vehicle was up, and he had his emergency flashers activated. However, another witness said there were no emergency flashers activated.
According to the police, 49-year-old Kasey Caraway, of Bedford, was driving a 2005 Cadilac Escalade and struck Wright’s vehicle which hit Wright, launching him into the air. Police say it appeared Caraway did not slow down or change lanes when her vehicle struck Wright’s Jeep.
Caraway told police she did not see the Jeep stopped in the travel portion of the road and was unable to avoid impact.
At the same time, 61-year-old Rebecca French, of Bloomington was traveling in the right lane of State Road 37 in a 2013 Nissan Frontier and had swerved to miss debris from the accident and struck Wright, who was thrown into her path of travel.
Wright was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the police report, all the drivers involved were given blood tests to determine whether they were impaired which is standard procedure in a fatal accident. Police believe neither driver was impaired. Results from the tests are pending.
