HANCOCK COUNTY — The Hancock County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating a New Year’s Day crash that claimed the life of a woman who had just recently moved to the Greenfield area.
It could be some time before officials investigating the two-car accident determine exactly why one car veered off the road into a guardrail and then head-on into traffic, colliding with another vehicle.
The crash happened west of Greenfield around 5:45 p.m. Jan. 1, killing Lisa Pinner, 49, Greenfield. The accident occurred on County Road 200N and Sugar Creek Trail, between County Roads 100W and 200W.
Two people in the vehicle that was hit head on were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
The crash involved a 2016 Nissan Altima driven by Pinner and a 2012 Volkswagen Passat occupied by a married couple from Shirley.
According to the county’s Fatal Accident Crash Team, the Nissan was traveling eastbound on County Road 200N, and the Volkswagen was westbound.
Evidence at the scene indicates the passenger-side wheels of the Nissan, driven by Pinner, left the roadway for some reason, leading the car to strike the end of a guardrail in that stretch of road. The impact with the guardrail forced the Nissan into the path of the Volkswagen.
Pinner, the only occupant of the Nissan, died at the scene. Officials said they learned she had recently moved to Greenfield from the Indianapolis area.
The driver of the Volkswagen was identified as Ruthie Gregory, 64, Shirley. The passenger was identified as her husband, Donald Gregory, 73. Both were both transported to the hospital by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries, said Robert Harris, public information officer for the sheriff’s department.
Investigators are unsure what caused the Nissan to leave the road. An autopsy has been performed, and a toxicology report is pending, Harris said.
County Road 200N was closed for nearly three hours while officers from the Fatal Accident Crash Team investigated.
