Wreck sends vehicle rolling into ditch, one injury reported

All information below has been provided by the Washington County Sheriff's Department.

On Friday, December 12 at 2:44 pm, Salem emergency responders received a dispatch call regarding an overturned truck on North SR-135 at the intersection of Hypes Road. The call stated that one individual was trapped inside the vehicle.

Upon the arrival of the Washington County Times, a white 2008 GMC Sierra truck could be seen flipped on its driver’s side in the ditch on the west side of the road. Debris from the vehicle was strewn about alongside the overturned truck, and the crew from the Salem Fire Department had already begun to secure the vehicle in a manner that would keep it from flipping all the way on its roof.

The driver of the vehicle was Cody Cornett, age 33, and the passenger was Robin Cornett, age 57.

“It looks like he ran off the road up here and hit the guardrail on the west side, straddled this ditch down here, and then it rolled over at some point,” said Sheriff Brent Miller. “They’re talking like this might be an alcohol-related crash.”

A press release that was posted on December 13 also stated that alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash.

Cody Cornett was the individual trapped inside the vehicle, and the Salem Fire Department utilized the “Jaws of Life” to cut the roof off the vehicle and extricate Cornett. He was transported via ambulance to the University of Louisville hospital for treatment of his injuries. The severity of said injuries have yet to be released at this time. Robin Cornett, the passenger, refused medical treatment at the scene.

Deputy Joe Johnson is the lead investigator of the incident, and he was assisted by Sheriff Brent Miller, Captain Joe Keltner, Deputies Jason Hartsfield, Dylan Johnson, Uriah Graves, Indiana State Police, Salem Police Department, Salem Fire Department, and the Washington County Ambulance Service.