Illinois woman, teen killed in serious crash on I-65 in Johnson County
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Two people died Sunday morning in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 65 in Johnson County.
The Johnson County Coroner’s Office identified the two people as Cearmease Evans, 52, and Chaise Franklin, 17, both of Chicago.
The coroner determined their causes of death to be multiple traumatic injuries sustained during the crash.
Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said in a post on X around 10 a.m. Sunday that first responders were on the scene of a serious crash on I-65 northbound at the 96-mile marker.
That’s between County Road East 600 North and Worthsville Road near Greenwood.
It was still unclear as of Sunday afternoon what caused the crash, how many were in the vehicle, or if any others were injured.
The Indiana Department of Transportation says the right lane of I-65 northbound was closed for over an hour while crews were on the scene.
News release
“Greenwood, IN – At 9:38 this morning, Indiana State Police Dispatchers were notified of a serious crash on I-65 northbound near the 96 mile marker, six miles north of the Franklin Exit. Early reports indicated a vehicle ran off the road and struck a tree. When first responders arrived they found two unresponsive females inside the car, along with a conscious and alert third person who was driving in the vehicle. Despite life saving efforts, passengers 52 year old Cearmease Evans and 17 year old Chaise Franklin, both from Chicago Illinois, were pronounced deceased at the scene. The Johnson County Coroner responded to the scene to investigate the deaths and recover the remains of the deceased. The third person in the vehicle was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
“Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists responded to the scene to investigate. Preliminary information revealed a gold 2011 Jeep ran off the road into the ditch to the right side of the road. The Jeep then impacted several trees on the passenger side of the vehicle. Ms. Evans was in the front passenger seat and Ms. Franklin was in the rear passenger seat. According to Johnson County Coroner Mike Pruitt, both sustained traumatic injuries from impact. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the Jeep to run off the roadway. The right two lanes of I-65 were restricted for several hours while the crash was investigated, the lanes have since re-opened.
“The circumstances of this crash are still under investigation and there is no further information to release at this time.”
Indiana State Police news release issued at 3:05 p.m. April 7, 2024