Vigo County, IN (August 26, 2026) – Vigo County Sheriff’s Office deputies were sent to the area of U.S. 41 and East Hook Drive near Pimento at about 6:00 p.m. on August 26 after a report of a multiple-vehicle crash, according to the sheriff’s office.
One of the vehicles involved fled the scene before deputies could arrive, officials said. While deputies were investigating that first crash, dispatch received reports that the same vehicle had rear-ended two other vehicles along U.S. 41, one near Harlan Drive and one near Patriot Lane.
Deputies were able to locate the vehicle after it crashed into a stop sign near Hook Drive, the sheriff’s office said. The driver was not found near the vehicle.
With assistance from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office K9 Unit and the Vigo County Unmanned Aerial System Team, deputies located the driver in a nearby field, according to the sheriff’s office. He was identified as Thomas Taft II, of Terre Haute.
Deputies reported that Taft had a blood alcohol content of .189. Officials said that while he was being taken into custody, Taft threatened the children of responding law enforcement officers.
Taft has been charged with three counts of leaving the scene of a crash, OVWI-Prior with endangerment, and intimidation, according to the sheriff’s office. He also has a prior charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Injuries to the people in the two vehicles that were rear-ended have not been released.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
Drunk Driving and Hit-and-Run Crashes in Vigo County, Indiana
Criminal charges and a civil injury claim are two separate tracks. A conviction does not pay a medical bill, and a plea agreement does not compensate anyone who was hurt. Anyone struck in a chain of crashes like this has to open their own claim.
Here is what a claim in this posture usually turns on:
- Who may be liable. The at-fault driver first, and in some cases the owner of the vehicle if that is a different person. Where alcohol was served can also become a question under Indiana’s dram shop statute, IC 7.1-5-10-15.5, though nothing reported here addresses that.
- What coverage responds. A driver with a prior alcohol-related offense may carry minimum limits or none at all. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under a victim’s own policy, offered under IC 27-7-5-2, is often the coverage that actually pays.
- Punitive damages. Indiana allows punitive damages where conduct is willful or wanton, subject to the limits and allocation rules in IC 34-51-3. Impaired driving cases are among the few where this comes up seriously.
- What evidence carries the claim? Crash reports from all three scenes, the chemical test results, 911 recordings, and any dash camera or business surveillance video along that stretch of U.S. 41.
Indiana applies modified comparative fault under IC 34-51-2-6. A person whose own fault exceeds 50 percent recovers nothing, and any recovery is reduced by that person’s share. Nobody in the struck vehicles has been assigned fault in anything reported so far.
Most Indiana injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury under IC 34-11-2-4. For crashes on August 26, 2026, that deadline is August 26, 2028. Waiting for the criminal case to finish is a common mistake, because that case can outlast the civil window.
Contact Our Indiana Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys
Getting rear-ended twice on the same highway by the same driver is the kind of thing that sounds unbelievable until it happens to you. The anger that follows is fair, and it does not have to be the thing you act on.
Our Indiana auto accident attorney team has handled claims against impaired and fleeing drivers since 1980, including cases where the at-fault driver’s coverage came nowhere near the harm done. We know where the money actually comes from in those cases.
Chemical test records, the 911 recordings from the drivers who called this in, and any roadside camera footage along U.S. 41 all have retention windows measured in weeks, not years.
Talking with us costs nothing, and we only get paid out of a recovery.
Why Indiana families trust Langer & Langer:
- Founded 1980, over 45 years serving Indiana families
- 100+ years of combined legal experience
- Recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, American College of Trial Lawyers
Hold the Driver Accountable, Call 219-245-5881
Tell us what happened at your scene and we will tell you honestly whether there is a claim worth pursuing. You can also read about founding attorney Steven L. Langer and what our Indiana personal injury lawyers take on.
