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Man killed when pickup drives off roadway, flips over creek in Knox County

A man was killed after a pickup went off a roadway in southern Knox County and went airborne over Pope Creek.

A man was killed after a pickup went off a roadway in northern Knox County and went airborne over Pope Creek.

When emergency responders arrived, the 45-year-old driver, Joseph G. Simpson, was trapped inside a pickup truck, according to a statement from the Knox County Sheriff’s Department.  The vehicle was on its passenger side and “no signs of life were detected at that time.”  It was around 2:25 a.m. Saturday, May 21, 2016 when deputies were called to the 2900 block of Knox Road 600E.

Investigators say Simpson, from Ophiem, Illinois, had been heading southbound on the roadway when he crossed over the northbound lane, ran off the road, and hit the guardrail on the bridge.  The pickup continued southbound in a ditch and ended up going airborne over Pope Creek, landing on the south bank and flipping.

Simpson was extricated from the pickup by volunteer firefighters and was pronounced dead at 3:50 a.m., police said.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of the story incorrectly stated that the crash happened in “southern” Knox County. It has been corrected to say “northern” Knox County. 

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