Greencastle couple seriously injured in Monday crash

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

A Greencastle man and woman are hospitalized in Indianapolis following a serious crash Monday afternoon on State Road 240 in eastern Putnam County.

Driver James Grivas, 59, was taken to an Indianapolis hospital by ambulance, while Susan Grivas, 58, was taken to Indianapolis by helicopter, after their passenger vehicle was struck head-on by a box truck.

At approximately 3:40 p.m. Monday, the box truck was eastbound on State Road 240 near County Road 725 East, driven by Wayman C. Brown II, 27, Indianapolis.

Brown told Indiana State Trooper Colton Manor he had dropped a bottle on the floorboard of his truck. Brown was attempting to retrieve the bottle, which was located under the accelerator.

At this point, the truck went left of center and struck the westbound passenger vehicle head on.

Scanner traffic shortly after the incident indicated that victims were entrapped with obvious signs of injury when first responders arrived.

Fire crews from Fillmore, Jefferson Township and Greencastle were all dispatched for extrication and cleanup efforts.

With three total victims, Putnam County EMS was on the scene, with both Hendricks County Ambulance and Monrovia Ambulance also called.

Susan Grivas was ultimately transported from the scene by StatFlight helicopter.

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office also assisted at the scene.

The road was closed until around 5 p.m. for the investigation and cleanup, the Indiana Department of Transportation reported.

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  • That is a narrow and dangerous road.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Tue, Sep 14, 2021, at 9:26 AM
  • My prayers for all involved. I totally agree with the above statement. The road is very narrow. It would be fine with me if they lowered the speed limit to 45mph.

    -- Posted by interestedperson#1 on Tue, Sep 14, 2021, at 10:07 AM
  • Let's blame it on the road , not the driver who lost control of his truck because he didn't stop to retrieve the bottle he dropped , just took his eyes off the road for a second to lean down to reach for it. By the way this road has always been narrow .

    -- Posted by sierrasusanne on Tue, Sep 14, 2021, at 1:50 PM
  • No doubt 240 is too narrow and many places have no shoulder. Get one wheel off that edge and you're in big trouble. But no road is safe from dangerous drivers like this one. I assume he wasn't injured, as there is no mention of his condition in the article.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Tue, Sep 14, 2021, at 3:12 PM
  • I have always avoided this road if possible-especially if i have a grandchild with me-i go way out my way cause it has been this way for years-too narrow and unsafe. Prayers for the people to recover soon from this accident.

    -- Posted by oldschool68 on Tue, Sep 14, 2021, at 4:40 PM
  • *

    I drive 240 all the time.

    The problem isn't the road.

    The problem is drivers not paying attention.

    On a nice day with no traffic I can do 70mph most of the trip from 240 to 75 or back. (Only 3 decent places to pass make it a real bummer when you get in the parade.)

    Only thing that worries me: semi-tractors and distracted drivers. Both have a tendency to cross the centerline.

    Otherwise... it's a racetrack!

    Vrooom.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Tue, Sep 14, 2021, at 8:29 PM
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