NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- An attempted traffic stop ended in a fiery crash that killed one person Tuesday on State Street in New Albany.
The crash took place shortly after 2 p.m. in front of the Popeyes Louisiana Chicken on State Street, a couple of blocks before the intersection with Green Valley Road.
New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey tells WDRB that an officer was trying to do a traffic stop on State Street near Clay Street after a reports of a silver Dodge Challenger driving recklessly, but the officer said the Challenger took off at a high rate of speed so he chose not to pursue the vehicle.
A minute later, Bailey said, the Challenger hit a white SUV at the automatic signal at New Albany Plaza.
The impact started a fire that sent black smoke billowing into the sky. Bailey said the officer was able to pull the driver out of the Challenger before it caught fire. The driver was taken to the University of Louisville Hospital with unknown injuries. Police said the passenger in the car died at the scene.
The woman driving the SUV was also taken to Baptist Floyd Hospital, but she is expected to recover. A small transit bus that was parked with an advertisement sign was also hit and caught fire, but no one was on board.
Chris Stephens witnessed the crash as he was getting his oil changed. He said the silver car was being pursued by law enforcement just before the crash.
"I seen the grey Charger (Challenger) come flying down State Street at 100 miles an hour, it seemed, and he run through the light here, and hit the white SUV and then it went into the van and just caught fire," Stephens said. "A huge fireball. Instantly."
Stephens said there was no way he could have helped anyone in the vehicles.
"There wasn't no getting to it at all, because the heat and flames were massive," he said.
A witness who chose to remain anonymous said she was driving home when she saw the aftermath of the crash. She said it involved multiple vehicles, some of which were in flames.
She said she saw a police officer pull someone from the wreckage shortly before she began hearing "explosions."
Stephens said he was shaken up by the incident.
"That's something you see in the movies. That was frightening just to watch."
"Just pull over," he added, referencing the driver who was being pursued. "It's not worth killing yourself or anybody else."
Chief Bailey said in a statement that, "the Indiana State Police are working both the Criminal Case and Crash Reconstruction at the request of the NAPD in conjunction with the NAPD Criminal Investigations Division"
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