A Center Grove area teen remained in critical condition Monday after a car crash last week in northwestern Johnson County.
Just after 7 p.m. Thursday, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and White River Township Fire Department were called to the 1600 block of South Paddock Road in Greenwood on the report of a single-vehicle accident. Callers reported the vehicle had struck a tree head on, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Firefighters found two teens inside the vehicle, and had to extricate both, according to the news release.
The passenger, Austin James Norris, 16, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, Hunter Wylie Riffle, 16, was taken to Sidney Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, where he has been since Thursday night.
Both teens were identified as Center Grove High School students in an email to parents Thursday night.
Witnesses told deputies the Volkswagen was southbound on Paddock Road at high speeds. The car went airborne and when it landed, lost control and struck the tree. The accident is still under investigation, but there is video evidence of the crash on the property owner’s security camera, according to the accident report.
The sheriff’s office is asking that anyone who witnessed the accident or saw a gray 2004 Volkswagen GTI hatchback with Indiana Sheriff’s Association plate LW1183 prior to the accident call the sheriff’s office at 317-346-4615 and refer to case number J21012242, according to the news release.
The sheriff’s office is also looking to speak with the driver of a smaller-style light-colored gray SUV with some type of luggage container attached to the top. They may have witnessed the Volkswagen prior to the accident, the news release said.
