Woman dies, 2 men seriously hurt in crash at rural crossing near Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — A 51-year-old Greensburg woman died in a crash Tuesday afternoon in rural Bartholomew County, the sheriff’s office reported Wednesday afternoon.

Tonya Whiteside died at the crash scene at the intersection of County Road East 100 South and South 525 East. That’s about a 12-minute drive east of downtown Columbus.

Two men were seriously injured and taken by helicopter to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis with what the sheriff’s office called significant and severe injuries.

The sheriff’s office says in a news release that deputies were called to the crash of a Chevrolet pickup truck and a Chevrolet Impala car just after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Whiteside was driving the Impala. She and Christopher Harris, 47, of Greensburg, were trapped in the car.

The driver of the pickup, Tyler Myers, 21, of Bedford, was trapped in the truck. No one else was in the truck.

Investigators think the Impala disregarded a stop sign at the intersection before the crash.

Sgt. Dane Duke with the sheriff’s office says a stop sign is erected for traffic on South 525 South. He also tells News 8 that other fatal traffic accidents have happened at this intersection in past years.

“Neither drugs or alcohol are believed to be a factor in the incident at this point in the investigation,” the release issued Wednesday afternoon said.

This investigation is ongoing by the Bartholomew County Accident Reconstruction Team.

Bartholomew County Accident Reconstruction Team has not yet completed its investigation of the crash.

The crash site is about a hour’s drive southeast of downtown Indianapolis.