Coyote crossing highway causes crash

JACKSON CO., Ind. (WISH) - Two people are in the hospital after their SUV crashed while trying to avoid an animal crossing the highway Thursday in Jackson County.

John W. Gaffney Jr., 32, of Seymour said he was driving his 2002 Chevy Blazer northbound on State Road 11 near Country Road 200 North when a coyote ran into the highway and he swerved to avoid hitting it.

While trying to avoid the animal, he lost control and ran off the road, hitting a sign and running through a ditch. At that point, the SUV flew in the air, hit a utility pole and hit a parked tractor in a field.

The driver was uninjured, but police say as the vehicle was going through the ditch, the passenger, Marcia D. Gaffney was thrown from the SUV.

She was transported to Schneck Memorial Hospital in Seymour and later transferred to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis with head injuries. Police say she was alert and conscious at the scene.

A 5-year-old girl was injured in the crash and was sent to Schneck Memorial Hospital with abdominal and head injuries. Her twin brother was uninjured.

The crash remains under investigation.