August 19, 1987

Teenager pinned in wreck freed

       Rescuers worked feverishly for more that two hours Tuesday trying to free a Linton teenager trapped inside the wreckage of an overturned truck in Johnson County.  Fifteen year old James Hoggett, a passenger in the truck, was reported in fair condition this morning at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis after treatment for severe cuts to both legs.  The driver of the truck, Kenneth H. Thomas, was not injured in the accident but faces a charge for driving while suspended and possible charges for giving police officers false identification at the scene.  Thomas’s truck jackknifed off the northbound lane of State Road 37 about a mile south of Smith Valley Road after a front tire blew out.  Thomas and Paul Underhill Jr., 14, Washington, another passenger, climbed out of the wreckage.  But Hoggett was trapped when his legs were pinned as the truck cab collapsed around him.

         Hoggett slipped his hand through the broken windshield and firefighters took turns holding it, trying to comfort the youth while they worked to free him.  Rescue efforts were hampered because the truck skidded off the road, down a ditch and into a clump of trees.  Firefighters and policemen used chain saws and axes to cut the debris away from the truck.  After nearly 2 ½ hours Hoggett was freed and rushed via LifeLine Helicopter to Methodist Hospital.  The flat bed truck, loaded down with junked cars, was on its way to Indianapolis Tuesday about 1:48 p.m. when the right front tire blew out, Thomas said.  Thomas, a 40 year old Washington resident, said losing the wheel caused the truck to pull hard to the right.

         Thomas identified himself at the scene as Arden Hitchcock of Petersburg, Indiana State Police Trooper Jack Bedan said.  After checking, police determined his real identity, and found he has a suspended driver’s license.  Thomas will be arrested for driving while suspended and may be charged with providing false information, Bedan said this morning.  Other charges may be pending because the truck had a 1978 license plate, the trooper said.  Thomas rode the truck as long as he could, but it dropped off the highway into the ditch and flipped on the passenger’s side.  As he was climbing out the window, Thomas noticed a small fire under the truck.  He grabbed a fire extinguisher in the truck and put out the blaze with the help of a passing motorist, who also had a fire extinguisher.  When the firemen arrived, they sprayed foam on the engine and underneath the cab to prevent the diesel fuel from igniting.

         There wasn’t much traffic on the road at the time of the wreck, Thomas said.  But within a matter of seconds about 15 people had stopped their cars to see if they could help, he said.  One of the passing motorists was Linda Aton of Noblesville, a registered nurse on her way to the Morgan County Hospital.  Aton didn’t actually see the truck leave the road but got a good view of the aftermath.  “When I came by it was just one big ball of dust.” she said.  “It seemed like forever, but it all happened pretty quickly.”  Aton stopped her car and climbed over a wire fence trying to get to the truck cab to see if she could help.  By that time Thomas and Underhill were already out of the vehicle and walking around.  Aton said she was shocked to see the two were in such good condition.

         Underhill is the son of the truck owner, Paul Underhill Sr., who owns Underhill Auto Crushers in Washington.  The younger Underhill was lying down in a small sleeping compartment behind the front seat at the time of the wreck.  The impact threw him head first up against the windshield.  “I heard a big bang, looked up and saw the passenger’s side of the truck was slumped down,”  Underhill said.  “I just about knew we were going over.”  In a flash the boy was up against the windshield.  “Half of me was in the sleeper and half of me was up front.”  There was a deep gash over Underhill’s eye and a bruise on his shin.  Underhill was taken to Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, where he was treated and released.

         Rescue workers tried to get him to lie down out of the hot sun, but the boy was too concerned about his cousin Jim, still trapped in the wreck.  “Do you know anything about the boy trapped?” he would ask rescue workers as they came up the ditch for rest and water.  The high temperatures, hot sun and humidity took its toll on the many firefighters at the scene.  Two of the White River Township volunteers had to be taken to the hospital suffering from heat exhaustion.  Joe Marsh, 16, and Kevin Crowley, 15, collapsed at the scene and were taken to University Heights Hospital, Indianapolis.  Both were treated and released.  A rescue worker at the scene said Marsh appeared to be going into shock.

         Firefighters from White River Township, Greenwood and Bargersville joined Indiana State Police troopers and Johnson County sheriff’s deputies in the effort to free Hoggett.  The northbound lane of the highway was completely closed for about an hour causing a long back up.  Traffic was directed around the accident site through the grassy median.  Traffic was not blocked in the south bound lanes but started to back up between 4 and 5 p.m. because of commuters slowing down to look at the wreck.  See a related story and photos HERE.

  
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