WHITE CO., Ill.—A single-car wreck on the Centerville Blacktop in White County (north of Carmi) this morning has claimed the life of a well-known local woman.
Jan Fishback, 49, lost her life this morning in the accident that White County Sheriff’s Department authorities believe was caused by an iced-over bridge.
Fishback has worked at the White County Treasurer’s Office in a full-time capacity for the past several years, according to Sheriff Doug Maier, and prior to that had been working in that office as a part-timer.
Mair said that the wreck was called in at 7:57 a.m. this morning, Tuesday, December 2.
According to the preliminary report, Fishback was traveling the Centerville Blacktop coming to work in her pickup truck when she went to cross the Skillet Fork Bridge on that road, and lost control of her vehicle on the ice.
The truck slid down the embankment and had turned around, traveling backwards, striking a tree at the bottom. Maier said it appears the impact of the tree smashing in the top of the cab might have been the fatal blow, as it struck Fishback’s head at the final impact.
Maier reports that Fishback was wearing her seatbelt. The accident remains under investigation by the White County Sheriff’s Department.