Woman killed by alleged drunk driver in crash on Sunday

Dylan Thompson

Police say an allegedly drunken Brazil man attempting to pass multiple vehicles on State Road 59 early Sunday crashed into another vehicle, killing its driver.

Morgan Brittany Prichard, 29, Terre Haute, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Clay County Coroner.

Dylan Thompson, 21, was treated and released from Terre Haute Regional Hospital, then arrested on a felony count of operating a vehicle intoxicated causing death. He also faces other traffic-related violations.

He is being held on $25,000 bond.

Police and emergency personnel were dispatched to the two-vehicle crash at the intersection of SR 59 and County Road 1200 North (Rio Grand Road) early Sunday. An unresponsive female, later identified as Prichard, was found in one of the vehicles, while two males, Thompson and a passenger, were found conscious and alert in a Ford truck, according to a Clay County Sheriff's Department report.

Multiple witnesses, including a CCSD deputy in his fully marked patrol car and a friend of Prichard who was following behind her in a separate vehicle, say they were traveling north on SR 59, preparing to turn west onto 1200N when the crash occurred. Witnesses told police that both Prichard and her friend utilized their vehicles' brake lights and turn signals prior to making the turn.

Around that time, Thompson pulled his truck out from the northbound line of traffic, accelerated and began passing multiple vehicles, including the deputy, the CCSD report states. Thompson's truck then impacted the driver's side of Prichard's vehicle that was turning left on to 1200N.

Initial toxicology testing showed Thompson's blood-alcohol content was .152 percent, which is nearly twice the legal driving limit of .08 percent, according to the CCSD report. Thompson's passenger was also treated and released from Regional Hospital.

Public court records show Thompson was charged with reckless driving in April 2014. He entered and completed a pre-trial diversion in the Clay County case and the B misdemeanor allegation was dropped. Details surrounding that case were not immediately available on Sunday.

Assisting the CCSD in Sunday's crash were Dick Johnson and Van Buren Township fire departments as well as CARE Ambulance.