STONY CREEK TOWNSHIP — A church caught fire near Anderson on Wednesday after a two-vehicle collision sent a car crashing into the building.
Madison County Sheriff Ron Richardson said the two vehicles collided at the intersection of County Road 400 South and Layton Road where Anderson and Stony Creek townships meet. The accident happened around 7:30 a.m.
Richardson said a 2000 Mercedes driven by Gregory K. Scott, 60, Anderson, was southbound on Layton Road when it collided with a black Mitsubishi Eclipse headed west on 200 South with Joshua R. Smith, 23, Anderson, behind the wheel. Terrence R. Hutchison III, 20, Anderson, was a passenger in Smith’s car and all three men were taken to St. John’s Hospital in Anderson.
“At this time, we don’t believe any injuries were serious,” Richardson said.
The Mercedes then struck a wall on the north side of Bethel United Methodist Church, which is on the southwest corner of the intersection.
Ritch Blake, 44, of Anderson, witnessed the accident. He said Scott’s Mercedes appeared to run a stop sign, causing Smith’s Mitsubishi to T-bone him in the intersection. (East-west traffic along Layton Road must stop at the two-way stop intersection, but north-south traffic along 200 South does not.)
“He hit him on the left side, the car went into the yard and hit the building,” said Blake. “The car stopped with the throttle wide open.”
Blake and another man, Bill Pape, 62, of Anderson, both stopped to assist. Pape is EMS Captain for Lapel-Stony Creek Ambulance and notified Madison County dispatch of the situation via radio within a matter of seconds.
“We weren’t able to do much because of the involvement,” Pape said. “We were able to get to the passenger side, which was unlocked, thank God.”
The passenger side of Scott’s Mercedes was pinned up against the stone wall of the church. Blake said, it wasn’t long before flame was visible near the car’s right-front tire.
“We saw that the driver was pinned between the console and the door,” Blake said. “We lifted his legs and we were able to drag him out.”
Pape said Scott was in a “semi-conscious” state, but soon began talking. Richardson said he reported back pain to ambulance staff.
The walls of Bethel United Methodist Church are mostly stone, but Blake said flames creeped up into a window frame and quickly spread into the church. It wasn’t long before the fire had spread throughout the east wing of the church, although it appears the sanctuary to the west was relatively unscathed.
Contact Justin Schneider: (765) 640-4809, justin.schneider@heraldbulletin.com
Local News
Related Photos
-
Justin Schneider
-
Justin Schneider
Discussion
Crash ignites fire at Bethel United Methodist
- Local News
-
-
Anderson man dies at Monroe Reservoir; 3 others arrested
Memorial Day weekend took a tragic turn Saturday evening as an Anderson man visiting Monroe Reservoir died. Three other Anderson men were arrested later that day following the death of Matthew Hosier, 29.
-
Getting Together: Silence not golden for this library program
Certain rules govern almost all libraries: be quiet, don’t mar the pages and absolutely no food or drinks on the premises. But a small group of patrons wait until after hours, lock themselves in the back room of the Alexandria-Monroe Public Library, eat popcorn, drink soda and loudly scoff as they watch bad movies.
-
Veteran receiving Bronze Star 68 years late
An Army veteran will be awarded a Bronze Star on Memorial Day — 68 years after he was originally supposed to receive it.
-
Memorial Day activities set
For Memorial Day weekend, here’s a list of activities to participate in.
-
Arrest Log: May 28
Arrests made by Madison County law enforcement on Saturday, based on Madison County Jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers, but are not final until the Madison County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
- Conservation officers arrest Anderson boater on alcohol charge
-
What's Where: May 28
Local activities are scheduled Monday.
-
Handicapped murder convict alleges prison discrimination
Since October 2006, Donald Lock has been confined to a wheel chair because of a degenerative bone disease. He has spent time at correctional facilities throughout the state, but it wasn’t until he was transferred to Pendleton earlier this year that he said he felt his disability was ignored.
-
Arrest log: May 27
The following arrest log appears in the Sunday edition of The Herald Bulletin.
-
Parents at Little League say coach took money
Parents of the North Anderson Little League filed a complaint with police against a former coach who they say stole fundraiser money.
- More Local News Headlines
-
