Two killed in rural Bartholomew County crash

Two people are dead after a head-on crash Monday in Bartholomew County.

According to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, deputies were called to the 5000 block of East County Road 600N at about 12:40 p.m. in the afternoon about a collision. Witnesses reported that two vehicles were involved and that the occupants were still trapped inside.

When deputies arrived, the driver of one vehicle and passenger in the second were found to have been killed in the crash. The second driver was critically injured and flown by Lifeline helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital for treatment.

The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office has identified the victims as 43-year-old Thomas J. Bassett and 69-year-old Patricia A. Lee, both of Columbus.

The accident remains under investigation.