Jasper County-An Indiana State Police Trooper was seriously injured when he was hit in the driver’s door by a semi.
Preliminary investigation by Senior Trooper Lawrence McFarrin revealed that at approximately 5:20 a.m., Wednesday, October 21, 2015, Trooper Brant Goubeaux, 25, an almost one year veteran of the department, made a U-turn on State Road 10 just east of 1100 West in Jasper County to go after a violator. Goubeaux was west bound on S.R. 10, went off on the side of the road to the right, where he turned his emergency lights on his fully marked 2008 Crown Victoria police car to make a U-turn to go east bound after a violator.
A 2000 Volvo semi, owned by Wm. O. Hopkins Inc. out of Rensselaer, Indiana, pulling a box trailer, loaded with 20,000 pounds of empty wooden spools, driven by Curtis H. Jackson, 75 of Brook, Indiana, was also west bound when Goubeaux made the U-turn in front of him. Jackson was unable to avoid Goubeaux police car and hit the driver’s door pushing the police car into the east bound lanes where they both came to rest. Jackson was going to Itasca, Illinois with his load.
Goubeaux was trapped inside his police car and had to be extricated. His was airlifted from the Keener Township ambulance parking lot and taken to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois with serious non-life threatening lower extremity injuries.
Mr. Jackson was not injured.
State Road 10 east of I-65 is closed for reconstruction of the crash, removal of the inured, towing of the vehicles and clean-up of the roadway.
Assisting: Keener Township ambulance, Jasper and Newton County Sheriff’s Department, Troopers Gary Runde, Carson House, Andrew Rasala, Sergeant Dwayne Dillahunty, Lieutenant Terry Gose and CVED Sergeant Dale Turner
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All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
