Two safely extricated following Monday evening wreck

Following an extrication effort that involved cutting the top off his pickup, emergency responders lift Maurice Buis from the ditch of State Road 240 Monday evening. Buis and his passenger Jerrald Bishop were trapped in the overturned truck following a collision with another pickup. Both men were taken from the scene on backboards, but were talking to their caregivers on the way to the ambulance. (Photo by JARED JERNAGAN)

A Monday evening accident east of Greencastle left two vehicles heavily damaged, but all parties involved escaped without life-threatening or incapacitating injuries.

At 7:18 p.m. emergency personnel were dispatched to the intersection of State Road 240 and County Road 500 East (County Home Road) for an accident involving two pickup trucks.

They found a 1994 Ford F250 overturned in the north ditch facing east with the driver and passenger trapped in the cab.

The other pickup, a 1996 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, was upright but heavily damaged in a field south of SR 240. The driver and his friends were out of the vehicle without serious injuries.

Responders from the Greencastle and Fillmore fire departments, Putnam County Operation Life and Jerry's and Seniour's wrecker services worked together to extricate the driver of the Ford, Maurice D. Buis, 57, Stilesville, and his passenger, Jerrald M. Bishop, 52, Coatesville, from the pickup.

Responders used extrication equipment to cut the posts of the cab and lift the roof for removal.

Both men were taken from the truck on backboards, but were speaking to emergency personnel as they were carried to the ambulances.

A loss of power to this Chevrolet Silverado is the apparent cause of a serious accident involving another pickup Monday evening. Driver Willis Kemp said his truck lost power and came to rest in the eastbound lane of State Road 240 with no lights. Kemp and his passengers escaped the collision without serious injuries. (Photo by JARED JERNAGAN)

Bishop was taken to Putnam County Hospital for the treatment of a possible fracture or dislocation of the neck.

Buis, who had been pinned under the vehicle, was transported to PCH with a complaint of pain over his entire body.

The chief contributing factor to the accident appears to have been a mechanical or electrical problem in the Chevrolet pickup.

The driver of the Chevrolet, Willis D. Kemp, 18, Greencastle, told investigating officer Deputy Mike Downing he was eastbound on SR 240 when the truck lost power.

He said the truck came to rest in the eastbound lane with no lights.

Kemp said he and his friends heard the other vehicle approaching and tried to warn the driver, but it was too late.

Buis told the officer he saw Kemp's truck at the last second but due to the lack of visibility and wet roads from a light rain, he could not avoid the crash.

Buis' pickup hit the rear quarter panel of the Chevrolet, pushing the other vehicle into field and causing his own truck to roll onto its driver's side in the north ditch.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Department investigated the accident, with assistance and traffic control also provided by the Greencastle Police Department.

Both trucks were totaled by the crash, with Downing estimating total damages between $10,001 and $25,000. Jerry's and Seniour's transported the vehicles from the scene.

Traffic was stopped in both directions on State Road 240 until after 8 p.m.