Conservation Officer Robert Perkins was killed in a two-vehicle accident when his patrol car was struck by another vehicle on a rural road in Hamilton County.

   His entire family were in their vehicle eastbound when it was struck by a southbound vehicle at an intersection. Their vehicle careened over 100 feet before coming to rest after crashing through a fence at a nearby farm.

   Conservation Officer Perkins was partially pinned under the car when it landed upside down. He was transported to Riverview Hospital in Noblesville with multiple injuries and died the following day. His wife and one daughter, who suffered minor injuries, survived.

   The vehicle of the 19-year-old male driver, who was uninjured, skidded over 60 feet south of the intersection.

   Conservation Officer Perkins, from New Ross, was survived by his wife and four daughters. He was preceded in death by his 2-year-old son in 1953.

   The family had been living on a conservation farm in Boone County and when asked to relocate, were in the process of looking for a new home.

The responsibilities of the Indiana Department of Conservation (1919–1965) are now under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.