Vehicle vs Pedestrian crash leaves local man hospitalized

By Gary Scott on February 28, 2018 at 6:26am

A vehicle versus pedestrian crash left one local man injured after reportedly being hit by a truck Monday.

According to reports from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, 54 year old Kevin Middendorf, of the 200 block of Zela Lane in rural Jacksonville, was walking on Old Route 36 west of Jacksonville at around 8:30 p.m. Monday when the crash occurred.

As Middendorf was walking along the highway, he was reportedly struck by a truck, which was being driven by 58-year old Robert Delaney of South Jacksonville.

Reports from the Sheriff’s Office say that when questioned, Delaney told deputies that he was traveling eastbound on Old Route 36 when his truck hit something just west of Vasey Lane. Upon hearing that his truck had hit something, Delaney told officers that he wasn’t sure what exactly he had hit, until turning around to see a person waving at him. However, once turned around again, Delaney was unable to locate the person, according to reports. Local authorities say the passenger-side mirror and window of Delaney’s truck were damaged as a result of the accident.

Local Deputies searched the area where the accident was reported but came up short of finding anyone, according to the report from the sheriff’s office. And it was yesterday at approximately 1:30 a.m. that Morgan County Deputies received a call from Passavant Area Hospital saying that Middendorf, who was being treated in the emergency room at the time, was claiming to have been hit by a vehicle.