Man Arrested After Leaving Scene of Crash in County (UPDATE)

An Effingham man was arrested following a two-vehicle collision on US Route 40 in Jackson Township Wednesday morning.

Effingham County Sheriff's Department reported the crash happened at 6:58am at the intersection with the Dexter Road. Deputies say a car driven by 32-year-old Mathew Koeberlein of Effingham was westbound on Route 40, then attempted to turn left and head south on the Dexter Road. Koeberlein turned into the path of a car driven by 63-year-old Terri Simpson of Altamont and the units collided. The impact sent Simpson's car off the right side of the roadway. The car overturned after striking the ditch.

Simpson was transported by ambulance from the scene to HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham.

Koeberlein left the scene but was later taken into custody. He was arrested on counts of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, failure to report the accident, possession of a stolen vehicle, driving while his license is revoked, improper lane usage, and failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash.

Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler Thursday said the report that the vehicle had been stolen was false; allegedly Koeberlein asked his girlfriend, the owner of the car, to report it had been stolen to divert attention from him as a suspect. Kibler said Koeberlein is being formally charged with leaving the scene of an accident and with disorderly conduct.