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Dump truck driver arrested in double fatal Avon crash

Man arrested in 11-vehicle Avon crash

News 8 Daybreak at 5 a.m.

AVON, Ind. (WISH) — The driver of a dump truck involved in an 11-vehicle crash in Avon that killed two people and sent three others to the hospital was arrested Tuesday night.

Avon police arrested Danny Williams, 62, of Knightstown on two preliminary counts of reckless homicide.

Police said the crash happened before 4 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of US 36 and County Road 625 East. They say it involved a dump truck, a school bus and nine other vehicles. No students were on board the bus, and Avon Schools said the driver of the bus is fine.

“The bus itself did sustain a very small amount of damage as a result of the accident itself,” said Avon Police Deputy Chief Bryan Nugent. “Thankfully they had just dropped off their last students so there were no children on that bus. And I know the school corporation here in Avon made sure they got that information out to families.”

Two people were taken to IU Health West and one person was taken to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital with serious injuries.

Police said there were several witnesses, including the drivers of the cars involved.

The intersection is along a main thoroughfare in Avon and was closed for six hours while police investigated.

“We’re going to take our time and do everything we possibly do to bring answers to what we know happened in this terrible tragedy today,” said Avon Police Deputy Chief Bryan Nugent. “That might cause an inconvenience for our public and we understand that frustration and we can only hope that it appeals to the senses of people to understand, people’s lives were lost today.”

Williams is preliminary charged with reckless homicide, but police did not explain what he did to cause the crash or what behavior was considered “reckless.”

They say Williams was taken to the hospital in order to submit to a chemical blood draw, per standard procedure.

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