SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) – A man killed on Interstate 65 North near Sellersburg early Friday was trying to help his daughter after she ran out of fuel.
Police say 73-year-old Earl Gresham was trying to cross all six lanes of the interstate just after 4 a.m. Friday when he was hit by a Toyota Camry in the middle northbound lane of I-65. After being hit by the Camry, police believe Gresham may have also been hit by a semi-truck that continued driving.
The Camry was badly damaged during the crash, so the Camry stopped and that driver was naturally distraught," Sgt. Carey Huls with Indiana State Police said. "But again, no fault there. It's the middle of the night. No charges or anything like that. It's just a tragic set of events."
An Indiana State Trooper had already stopped to assist the woman at the 12.4 mile marker when her father was hit.
According to the release, two other troopers were stopped at the 11.8 mile marker, waiting for a tow truck to remove a vehicle after its driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated. That’s where police say Gresham, who is from New Albany, stopped his vehicle and began crossing the southbound and northbound lanes.
Gresham's family tells WDRB he was the founder and pastor at Faith and Love Church on Corydon Pike in New Albany. They say he was always trying to help others.
"He was always really gracious like that," Randall Lynch, who has lived next to the church for 10 years. "It's really shocking because he, he just, he's one of those people you figured would probably die in his sleep, not an an accident somewhere. He was just a really nice man."
Lynch says he couldn't have asked for a better neighbor.Â
"Him and his wife are both really good people," Lynch said.Â
