FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fatal Single-Vehicle Crash Under Investigation in Franklin County.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department is investigating a fatal single-vehicle crash that occurred early Sunday morning, September 28, 2025, along State Road 1 near Blooming Grove.
At approximately 4:30 a.m., deputies and emergency personnel from the Blooming Grove Fire Department were dispatched to the 14000 block of State Road 1. Upon arrival, responders located the driver, identified as Ethan M. Heath, 17, of Laurel, who was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Preliminary investigation indicates Heath’s vehicle was traveling northbound when, for reasons still under investigation, it left the east side of the roadway. The vehicle struck a culvert and driveway, went airborne, and rolled multiple times before coming to rest.
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Blooming Grove Fire Department, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, the Brookville Police Department, and the Indiana State Excise Police, continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.
-Major Gregory Mehlbauer, Franklin County Sheriff’s Department
