Highway worker dies of crash injuries

Injuries suffered in a Nov. 20 traffic accident have claimed the life of a veteran Henry County Highway Department employee.

Robert Lee Kirby, 58, suffered injuries that included a fractured skull when a county-owned backhoe he was riding on Ind. 3 north of New Castle was struck from behind by a southbound Freightliner driven by Shane S. Thomas, 58, of Lafayette.

Kirby was flown by air ambulance to an Indianapolis hospital. He died Saturday at a medical facility in Greenfield. He had worked for the county for 37 years.

Thomas – treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Henry County Hospital – told investigators he had glanced down at his truck’s gauges before the collision.

The Lafayette man received a citation for “speed too fast to avoid collision,” according to an Indiana State Police press release. He had also received a speeding ticket in Henry County in August.

Asked Tuesday whether criminal charges might be pursued in the fatality, Henry County Prosecutor Joe Bergacs said he had received no related reports from state police.