FORTVILLE — A woman was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital Monday night with life-threatening injuries after she pulled into oncoming traffic after misinterpreting a two-way stop, causing a crash on the county’s north side, investigators said.
The accident happened just after 8:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of County Roads 400W and 1000N and sent three people to Indianapolis hospitals with varying injuries.
Now police are urging drivers using those roadways as detours to avoid construction in Fortville and McCordsville to be cautious when driving in unfamiliar areas.
Pooja Mehra, 24, of Fishers was driving northbound on County Road 400W when she crossed into the path of a car driven by Joshua Hodge, 28, of Indianapolis, police said.
Mehra stopped at a stop sign posted on County Road 400W, but she pulled out in front of Hodge, who was driving west on County Road 1000N. Mehra likely thought the intersection was a four-way stop, but there’s no stop sign on County 1000N, police said.
The two vehicles collided and spun through the intersection, police said. Both cars were heavily damaged and came to rest in a nearby field.
Mehra was unresponsive when emergency crews arrived at the scene. She was taken by air ambulance to St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis with head injuries, police said.
Mehra was still in critical condition at press time, police said.
A passenger in Mehra’s vehicle, whose name was not released by police, was taken to Indiana University Heath Methodist Hospital after the crash. The passenger had serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Hodge was treated at Methodist for minor injuries, police said.
Traffic on county roads between Fortville and McCordsville has increased as workers from CSX, a railway corporation, make repairs to railroad overpasses in both towns.
A portion of County Road 600W is closed, and drivers have to use alternative routes.
As construction continues over the next week, police are urging drivers to be cautious and drive slowly when using detours, said Hancock County Sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Rasche. Many county roads between Fortville and McCordsville are only two-way stops, he said.