HANCOCK COUNTY – An Indianapolis man who was looking forward to a career as a firefighter was killed in a four-vehicle crash Friday evening near Indianapolis Regional Airport in Mt. Comfort.
David Short, 26, who joined the Indianapolis Fire Department in February, died after his vehicle was struck head-on by a pickup truck that had crossed the center line. His passenger and the driver of the pickup were injured, said Robert Harris, public information officer for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
The four-vehicle accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. near the intersection of Mt. Comfort Road and Airport Boulevard, approximately two miles north of I-70. The speed limit along that section of Mt. Comfort Road is 55 mph.
Short was driving a Honda CR-V that was traveling north on Mt. Comfort Road when a southbound Dodge Ram pickup crossed the center line and struck a Ford F-150 that was ahead of Short’s vehicle, Harris said. The Dodge pickup then veered into Short’s vehicle, and the head-on collision caused both vehicles to roll off the east side of the road.
Short was transported by ambulance to Methodist Hospital, where he died in surgery. A passenger in his vehicle, Morgan Kimmel, 25, Indianapolis, was in serious condition at Methodist, Harris said.
The driver of the Dodge pickup was a juvenile male from Indianapolis, Harris said. He was taken to Methodist Hospital in serious condition.
The F-150, driven by Adrian Hampton, 39, Greenfield, also collided with a Ford Edge SUV driven by Carissa Rouse, 24, Fishers. Neither driver was injured.
The driver of the Dodge pickup submitted to a chemical test as part of standard procedure, but drugs or alcohol are not believed to be a factor, Harris said. The investigation is ongoing.
Mt. Comfort Road was shut down while officers investigated the crash.
Short had been a popular employee at Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza in Irvington. Kimmel is an employee there as well, the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page late Friday night.
“We are heartbroken to share the news of a terrible car accident Friday evening involving 2 of our Jockamo Family, David Short and Morgan Kimmel,” the post said. “David did not survive… We are devastated by this loss and ask for your prayers and positive thoughts for Morgan’s recovery and for both families.”
