Three persons, one of them a state trooper, were injured this morning in a two-vehicle accident on Grundy County Route Z.
Taken by ambulance to Wright Memorial Hospital in Trenton were 44-year-old state trooper Joseph Pithan of Chula; 58-year-old Patricia Whitaker and her daughter, 34-year-old Amy Currie both of Trenton. The accident report described injuries as moderate for Pithan and Mrs. Whitaker, minor for Mrs. Currie.
The highway patrols’ major crash investigation team reported Pithan was facing north in a farm entrance and attempted to make a U-turn. His sports utility vehicle (2014 Ford Explorer) traveled into the northbound lane of Z. The northbound van driven by Mrs. Whitaker struck the driver’s side of the patrol car. The troopers’ car stopped in the northbound lane. The (2014 Town and Country) van traveled off the west side of Route Z and entered the ditch.
Both vehicles were demolished in the wreck about 7:45 this morning. All persons were using safety equipment.
Sheriff Rodney Herring reported a one-mile portion of Route Z was closed for awhile this morning while law enforcement conducted the accident investigation.
That area was west of Laredo between Southeast 30th Street and Southeast 40th Street.
The accident report indicates a dozen highway patrol officers assisted with the investigation. Also at the scene were the Grundy county sheriff’s department and Grundy County emergency medical services.
