One person is dead after a vehicle struck a tree on Ditch Road in the late morning Nov. 12.
The 2017 Ford Fusion, which was traveling northbound near Queens Way, burst into flames after coming to a stop on its side, trapping William and Jeanne Feasel of Carmel inside. Four police officers and two firefighters suffered minor injuries while trying to rescue the victims.
“The police officers were the first on the scene,” Carmel Police Dept. Lt. Joe Bickel said. “They were trying to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, and they were trying to extricate the victims from inside, which is difficult in itself when the vehicle is on its side.”
Carmel firefighters put out the fire and used the Jaws of Life to extract the victims.
Both victims were rushed to hospitals, where Jeanne Feasel, 75, was later pronounced dead. The driver, William Feasel, 76, is in critical condition at Eskenazi Hospital.
Investigators are working to determine what caused the accident. They are interviewing neighbors to determine if anyone witnessed the accident or caught it on a video system.
“We still don’t know the reason for the crash, although speed is definitely going to be a factor,” Bickel said.
Ditch Road was closed for several hours between 106th and 116th Street while investigators reconstructed the crash.
