Two hurt, one airlifted after motorcycle-car crash on State Road 240
A 58-year-old Coatesville man was critically injured Thursday afternoon when the motorcycle he was riding struck a turning car in front of the Chiyoda U.S.A. plant on State Road 240 at Capital Drive, Greencastle City Police reported.
David Lindahl, who was riding a 1996 Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle with Brandi Allen, 40, Coatesville, as a passenger, was airlifted by StatFlight helicopter to St. Vincent Hospital at Indianapolis in critical condition.
Officer Nick Eastham said Lindahl was lying face down on the roadway when initial first-responders arrived and was in and out of consciousness. He was attended to at the scene by Operation Life ambulance personnel who worked on him until the helicopter arrived to airlift him from the scene.
Allen, meanwhile, was transported to Putnam County Hospital via Star Ambulance. Complaining of pain throughout her body, she suffered bruises and contusions, Eastham said, and was expected to be released from the hospital later Thursday evening.
The accident occurred as the Lindahl motorcycle was eastbound on State Road 240 just before 2:30 p.m. A 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, driven by Faith Chiles, 27, Greencastle, pulled out of Capital Drive in front of the motorcycle, Officer Eastham reported.
Another vehicle was reportedly traveling eastbound in front of the motorcycle and turned south onto Capital Drive where Chiles was sitting northbound, poised to turn left onto State Road 240. Chiles did not see the motorcycle behind that vehicle and made the turn believing the roadway was clear, police said.
The resulting collision ejected both Lindahl and Allen from the bike, Eastham said.
The motorcycle continued sliding down the north side of the roadway for approximately 100 feet before coming to rest in front of a westbound semi, driven by Terry Oty, Fillmore.
Officer Eastham was assisted at the scene by GPD Officer Kyle Lee, Assistant Chief Brian Hopkins and Det. Michael Collins, along with personnel from the Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Greencastle Fire Department and Operation Life.