Tow truck driver in court Friday morning

The driver of the tow truck involved in the six vehicle accident on Monday, July 2, is facing two misdemeanor counts tomorrow in the Dubois County Circuit Court.

Frederick D. Craney, 58, of Washington, is charged with Criminal Recklessness with a Vehicle (class A misdemeanor) and Reckless Driving (class B Misdemeanor) in addition to the two traffic citations he received for Disregarding a Traffic Signal and Speeding.

Craney ran a red light at the intersection of Newton and 15th St. as he was driving south on Monday, July 2. He swerved to miss one vehicle in the intersection but stuck another flipping it over and then careened through several other vehicles including a moped before finally coming to a rest. Original story here

The scene was a horrific one as many bystanders came to the aid of the fire department and first responders. Although several of the motorists were severely injured, none succumbed to those injuries and are recovering at this time. From information the Free Press could gather, all or most have been released from the hospital; two the same day of the accident.

The road was closed for several hours for the investigation and cleanup. The property damages in the accident are estimated to be around $40,000.

According to the affidavit, Craney was very distraught at the hospital after the accident and is very shook up by the incident.

Craney is represented by Washington attorney Michael D. Chestnut, who stated the 2006 Freightliner was a new truck at Craney’s Body Shop and a new air brake system had been installed recently. It has been inspected by Indiana State Police but the full report has not been released yet.