BEDFORD – A Bedford man was killed in a three-vehicle accident on Monday, February 6, 2023, at State Road 37 and John Williams Boulevard at 11:44 a.m.
The female responsible for causing that crash is now behind bars on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resulting in death, OWI endangerment, and operating a vehicle while under the influence of a controlled substance.
Before arrival, officers were advised that it was a fatal accident. Upon arrival, Bedford Police Major Jeremy Bridges noticed a vehicle damaged on its side and a car in the median with damage, as well as 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, Officers Clint Swanson and Derek Blackwell gathered 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, 50-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 could not 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.
According to the police report, all the drivers involved were given blood tests at IU Health Bedford Hospital to determine whether they were impaired, which is standard procedure in a fatal accident.
Caraway’s toxicology report was positive for codeine, fentanyl, morphine, Norfentanyl, amphetamines, and methamphetamine.
The information was forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office, and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
