Two die in separate auto accidents early Sunday morning

Marks on the road and in the yard show where a Gosport woman lost control of her SUV and crashed into a telephone pole before rolling and coming to rest near the front door of the residence. Jamie Lewis, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Courtesy Putnam County Sheriff’s Department

Updated with name of second accident victim

Two people died in separate automobile accidents about an hour apart early Sunday morning.

Jamie Lewis of Gosport and Anthony Mitchell of Brazil were pronounced dead at the scenes of their respective crashes.

At 1:51 a.m., Putnam County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 3500 block of South U.S. 231, where an SUV had crashed into a telephone pole.

Deputy Jeffery Freeman found that Lewis, 33, had been northbound in a 2004 Jeep SUV when she lost control for an unknown reason.

The vehicle skidded across the southbound lane and off the west side of the road, where it hit a telephone pole.

The SUV then started rolling, hit a brick wall in the yard before coming to rest near the front door of the house.

The crash remains under investigation, as officers try to determine why Lewis lost control.

Authorities were notified of the second incident at 2:55 a.m.

At some point prior, Mitchell, 25, had been eastbound on U.S. 40 on a moped just west of Putnamville Correctional Facility when he crashed off the south side of the road.

From what officers could tell, Mitchell picked up the vehicle and placed it on the side of the road. He then appears to have started picking up debris from the crash.

However, he collapsed in the roadway at some point.

A Duke Energy truck then approached the scene of the moped crash. Not observing the man lying in the roadway, the driver was not able to avoid hitting him.

Mitchell was pronounced dead at the scene, though it was not immediately clear if he had died before or after his body was hit by the truck.

Prior to notification of family, Mitchell had been identified as being from California, due to the identification he was carrying. However, investigators discovered he was living in Brazil.

Freeman also investigated the second crash, with assistance at both incidents from Sgt. Kyle Gibbons and Deputy Daniel Birt.

The deputies reported the Duke driver was cooperative throughout the investigation.

Also on the scene of the crash on U.S. 231 were the Putnam County Coroner’s Office, Greencastle Fire Department, Putnam County EMS and Curtis Wrecker Service.

Other agencies at the crash on U.S. 40 included the coroner’s office, Cloverdale Police Department, Cloverdale Fire Department, Putnam County EMS and Seniour’s Wrecker Service.