On Thursday at 9:44 a.m., the Champaign County 911 center was notified by Deputy Chris Culler, via Sheriff’s radio, that he had just been involved in an injury crash at the intersection of State Route 161 and S. Parkview Road in Goshen Township.
Sheriff’s deputies and fire/EMS were immediately dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that a 2018 BMW, driven by a Jeffrey Davis, 55, of Grove City, Ohio, disregarded the stop sign and pulled in front of Culler’s marked patrol vehicle as he was eastbound on State Route 161 at S. Parkview Road., causing a crash.
The BMW then left the roadway, travelled through a residential yard and entered a pond located on a property northeast of the intersection. Upon entering the pond, the vehicle immediately began to sink, with the driver still inside.
Once Culler was able to free himself from his damaged and disabled patrol vehicle, he secured his duty equipment and dove into the pond/water in an effort to rescue the driver of the BMW, who was struggling to get out of his vehicle.
After making several unsuccessful attempts to rescue the driver from the submerged car, Culler was joined by Paul D’Angelo, who resides in the area.
D’Angelo entered the water with Culler; after several more attempts, they were able to successfully extricate the driver from the submerged vehicle and assist him to shore, where he was later treated by Mechanicsburg Fire/EMS.
Davis was taken to Miami Valley Hospital by CareFlight for treatment of his injuries. Culler was treated for minor injuries and exposure, and released from Mercy Health Emergency Department, Urbana Campus.
The incident remains under investigation by the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office.
Submitted by the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office
