GREENFIELD — The driver of a box truck who police say ran a stoplight, hitting a van full of children, last month has been cited in the accident.
Clayton Farrell, 20, 3818 S. Post Road, Indianapolis, faces a Class C infraction for disregarding a traffic signal.
He’s scheduled to appear in court Aug. 14 to face the charge, which is not criminal. The infraction he faces carries a fine of up to $500.
Police say Farrell was behind the wheel of a box truck June 16 when he failed to stop for a red light, causing a three-vehicle crash that injured 13, including 11 children.
Farrell was northbound on State Street when he ran the stoplight at the intersection of State Street and Boyd Avenue, police said. The truck struck a church van carrying children from the Trinity Park United Methodist Church Alpha Omega day-care program.
The kids were returning to the church after a field trip to a Rushville swimming pool.
The truck struck the van as it started to cross west toward the church, less than a mile away, and then hit a sedan, police said.
The van’s driver, Alycia Knox, 24, of Greenfield, was briefly knocked unconscious on impact, causing her to unintentionally hit the gas and accelerate, police said. The van then struck a utility pole and overturned.
All 11 children from the Trinity Park church group were hurt in the wreck, though none of the injuries were considered life-threatening, likely because everyone in the van was wearing a seatbelt, officials said.
Eight of the children were taken to Hancock Regional Hospital — located just feet from where the crash occurred — and treated for relatively minor injuries. Three others were considered seriously injured and transported to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis for more specialized care.
One child was flown to Riley by helicopter, and two were driven by ambulance, police said.
By the following day, all of the children were well enough to be released from the hospital to recover at home.
A passenger in the sedan suffered from head and neck injuries and was taken to an Indianapolis hospital. She was released a few days later.
Following the accident, Farrell cooperated with police and passed a field sobriety test, police said.
Neither of the other drivers was tested, and police do not believe drugs or alcohol played a factor in the wreck. Everyone involved had an active driver’s license at the time of the crash, police said.
