HANCOCK COUNTY — Two separate crashes on roads in Hancock County claimed the lives of two people over the course of 18 hours Wednesday and Thursday.
A motorcycle crash at the 113-mile marker of westbound I-70 Thursday afternoon took the life of the rider. On Wednesday evening, a two-car accident at Greenfield’s busiest intersection killed a Shelbyville teenager.
The motorcyclist was identified late Thursday as Alexander Jonathan Stillion, 28, of Groveport, Ohio. In the earlier crash, the victim was identified as Peyton Owens, 18, Shelbyville.
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Owens was a passenger in a car driven by Elijah Jones, 18, also of Shelbyville, which was northbound on State Street at New Road about 6:18 p.m. Wednesday, the Greenfield Police Department said. Their vehicle collided with a southbound pickup truck driven by Gregory Messer, 56, Greenfield.
Owens, a 2019 Shelbyville High School graduate, was pronounced dead at Hancock Regional Hospital. The two drivers were taken to IU Methodist Hospital for treatment of their injuries. Their condition was not available at press time.
Further details about the crash were not released. The intersection of State Street and New Road is the city’s busiest. It’s also one of the most dangerous, according to a database compiled by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. From 2015 to 2017, there were 11 incapacitating crashes — meaning someone went to the hospital — as a result of crashes there, according to the data.
Family and friends of Owens flooded social media with photos and warm stories about the young man.
Brice Smith, Shelbyville, met Owens when the two were freshman together at Shelbyville High School. He said Peyton was friendly and was always looking out for him because he was the new kid in school.
Smith, who will graduate this year from the Excel Center in Shelbyville, said many people in town are mourning his death.
“It’s just really sad,” Smith said. “He was a really outgoing, super nice guy.”
Shelbyville Central Schools said in a press release: “We are deeply saddened at the loss of one of our graduates, Peyton Owens. Peyton was a great student who was respected and well-liked by all his classmates and staff. His gentle and friendly demeanor served as a strong example for all those who came into contact with him. He will be missed by all those who knew him.”
The Hancock County Fatal Accident Reconstruction Team is still investigating both accidents.
In Thursday’s accident along I-70, no other vehicles appeared to be involved when the motorcyclist, Stillion, crashed, witnesses told police. The accident happened at about 12:30 p.m. on the highway between County Roads 800E and 850E. It appeared the victim, who was riding a Honda Rebel, crashed into a guardrail on a small bridge. Witnesses told deputies Stillion might have struck a pothole in the pavement before the crash.
“It looks like he just lost control,” said Maj. Bobby Campbell chief deputy of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
Stillion was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. He died at the scene from his injuries.
