William Dale Blackburn, 59, of Shelbyville, died Friday morning when his car hit a loose trailer on a rural stretch of road. The crash happened just after 7 a.m. in the 5000 block of North Old U.S. Highway 421 in Decatur County.
Blackburn was heading south in his 2015 Ford Escape. A flatbed trailer had come off a northbound 2012 Ford F-350 and stopped right in his lane. He struck it head-on. A Honda Civic right behind him hit the same trailer.
The truck driver was Bradley Jon Hughes, 51, from Westport. The Civic driver was Nathan Andrew Rump, 28, also from Shelbyville. Blackburn was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else got hurt.
Deputies from the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office say the trailer came loose for reasons they still do not know. Alcohol and drugs played no part in the wreck. The investigation is still open.
First responders from the Indiana State Police, local fire departments, and EMS worked the scene. The sheriff’s office later put out a short statement offering condolences to Blackburn’s family and friends.
Blackburn lived in Shelbyville. He was 59 years old. The crash cut his life short on a quiet Friday morning drive.
Family and friends now face the sudden loss. The road has reopened, but the questions about how the trailer came free remain.
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