HANCOCK COUNTY — A Greenfield woman was killed in a head-on vehicle crash just east of the Hancock/Marion county line on Sunday evening, Sept. 5, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department said.
Sandra Ann Braschler, 61, Greenfield, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, which involved a sedan and a pickup truck. The front-seat passenger in the car she was driving, her husband, Chris Arnold Braschler, 61, Greenfield, was transported to Indiana University Methodist Hospital in critical condition. He has been unable to speak with deputies, said Capt. Robert Harris, public information officer for the sheriff’s department. An update on Chris Braschler’s condition was not available at the Daily Reporter’s deadline on Monday, Sept. 6.
The crash occurred in the 7000 block of West County Road 300N, near the intersection of County Road 800W.
Deputies arrived on scene shortly after 6 p.m. and immediately called for the Hancock County Fatal Accident Crash Team to respond. The crash involved a 2017 Ram 1500 pickup truck and a 2013 Toyota Corolla, Harris said.
The driver and only occupant of the Ram, Thomas Skaggs, 37, Fortville, was taken to Ezkenazi Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Harris said.
Evidence at the scene indicates one of the vehicles crossed the center line. The pickup truck flipped on impact, Harris said.
It’s not known whether drugs or alcohol played a factor, Harris said. The investigation is ongoing.
Chris Braschler is vision-impaired, and his service dog was in the car with the couple, Harris said. The dog survived the crash and has been released to members of their church so it can be cared for while Chris is hospitalized.
The county FAC Team is made up of officers from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, McCordsville Police Department, Greenfield Police Department, Fortville Police Department and New Palestine Police Department, all of whom assisted at the scene.
