An Arkansas woman was listed in critical condition after the pick-up truck she was driving slammed into a stopped tractor-trailer Monday afternoon along I-64 near Ferdinand.
Indiana State Police say at 4:10 pm yesterday, 59-year old Pamela Sorrells of Randolph County, Arkansas, was traveling westbound on Interstate 64 near the 64 mile marker (one mile east of the Ferdinand exit) when police say she lost consciousness due to a medical condition, and unknowingly merged from the passing lane, into the driving lane, and across the fog line.
Police say Sorrells’s truck struck a parked Freightliner semi truck pulling an empty 53 foot enclosed trailer, spun clockwise, and came to a stop next to the semi-tractor. They say the semi was stopped on the emergency shoulder after it broke down.
Sorrells was extricated from the her Chevrolet pickup and was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville. Police say the use of a seatbelt helped save her life during the crash.
The driver of the semi, 59-year old Kenneth Goodson of Owensboro was not in the truck at the time of the crash. Police say he was walking towards the Ferdinand exit to call for mechanical assistance.
Sorrells’s truck was a total loss, while damage to Goodson’s semi was limited to the trailer. I-64 was closed for over an hour while emergency crews investigated the crash.
State Police were assisted at the scene by Ferdinand Police, both the Dubois and Spencer County Sheriff’s Offices, Ferdinand First Responders, and Dubois County EMS.
