Friday afternoon, July 21, at around 3:21 p.m., Indiana State Police responded to a crash on US 41 at Old US 41 in Oaktown, Knox County, following a police pursuit. Sullivan County Sheriff’s Deputies had received information about a stolen 1997 Dodge Dakota from Vigo County heading south on US 41, and they attempted to stop the vehicle. However, the driver, a 16-year-old male from Terre Haute, refused to stop and continued south on US 41, eventually colliding with another vehicle at the intersection with Old US 41 in Oaktown. The preliminary investigation revealed that the three juvenile passengers in the stolen vehicle were reported missing from Vigo and Owen Counties. The driver of the Dodge Dakota attempted to turn right onto Old US 41 from US 41, but due to the high speed, the vehicle collided into the driver’s side of a 2006 Chevrolet Impala, stopped at the intersection. The driver of the Chevrolet Impala, 88-year-old Jimmy Mayall of Oaktown, suffered severe injuries and was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the Dodge Dakota sustained minor injuries and was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital before being transported to Southwest Indiana Regional Youth Village in Vincennes. One female passenger was also taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and then to Southwest Indiana Regional Youth Village, while another male passenger was airlifted to Deaconess Midtown Hospital in Evansville. The current condition of the latter is unknown. The investigation remains ongoing, and criminal charges are pending.
