An eight-year-old girl died early Saturday morning after the SUV she was riding in crossed a grass median on Interstate 64 and hit an oncoming pickup truck head-on. The crash happened just after 4 a.m. near the 29-mile marker in Gibson County.
County officials identified the young victim as Isabelle Preske of Cynthiana, a small town in neighboring Posey County. Emergency crews rushed to the scene near the Interstate 69 interchange, but Isabelle passed away before paramedics could reach her.
Isabelle was riding as a passenger in a white 2007 Jeep Liberty driven by her mother, Samantha Payne. The family was heading westbound on the highway when the SUV suddenly veered across the grass divider into oncoming lanes.
The Jeep struck a black 2005 GMC pickup truck traveling eastbound. Two men from West Virginia were inside the pickup at the time of the collision. Both men suffered severe injuries in the impact and were taken to an Evansville hospital.
Samantha Payne also suffered serious injuries in the crash. First responders pulled her from the wreckage and rushed her to an Evansville medical center, where she remains under doctor care.
Deputies from the Gibson County Sheriff’s Office and crash investigators from the Gibson County Major Accident Investigation Team spent hours at the scene mapping the wreckage and gathering physical evidence. Officers from the Princeton Police Department assisted with the reconstruction.
Relatives have started an online fundraiser to support the family with medical bills and unexpected costs. Investigators say they will turn over their final crash findings to the Gibson County Prosecutor once the accident report is finished.
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