1 killed, 1 hurt in rural accident

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GREENFIELD — A Greenfield woman died Saturday morning after being thrown from a car during a crash on the county’s west side.

Sheriff’s deputies say Shanna Duff, 48, of Greenfield, was driving west on County Road 100N when an eastbound driver crossed the center line, hitting her head-on.

Duff was thrown from her car despite having her seat belt on and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

The other driver, 31-year-old Megan Harter of Greenfield, was taken by ambulance to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital and was treated for serious injuries.

She is expected to make a full recovery, sheriff’s deputies said.

The accident happened around 11:15 a.m. Saturday in the 5600 block of West County Road 100N in Greenfield, between county roads 525W and 600W.

A passerby called 911 after spotting the wreck, dispatch records show. Both cars had come to rest in a field on south side of the roadway.

First responders had originally asked that a helicopter come to the scene to help transport the patients; but because of rainy weather, the helicopter was not able to fly, records show.

A portion of West County Road 100N was closed for about three hours while members of the Hancock County Fatal Accident Crash Team investigated the wreck.

The cause of the accident is still unknown.

Investigators do not believe weather contributed to the crash, though the roadway was wet due to an earlier storm.

Harter cooperated with investigators and submitted to a blood test, as all drivers are required to do after a fatal accident, Sheriff’s Capt. Robert Campbell said.

The sample will be sent to the Indiana Department of Toxicology to be tested.

Results of those tests are typically released in four to six weeks, officials said.