Selma crash victims identified

MUNCIE – A rural Muncie couple have been identified as the victims of a fatal traffic accident in Selma on Saturday night.

Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn said Monday that dental records were used to identify Russell E. “Gene” Greer Jr., 51, and Joy Marie Greer, 45.

Both victims died of blunt-force trauma injuries, Hahn said, suffered when their PT Cruiser, driven by Gene Greer, slammed into a tree in the 800 block of South Albany Street.

The vehicle then became engulfed in flames. The accident was reported at 9 p.m. Saturday.

Hahn said while the Greers had a Muncie mailing address, they lived just outside Selma.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Joe Krupa, public information officer for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, said the southbound vehicle hit a parked car before leaving the east side of Albany Street and striking the tree.

Authorities, family members and many Selma residents knew who the victims almost certainly were soon after the accident.

However, under a state law enacted in 2007, an Indiana coroner can only officially identify accident victims through confirmation by relatives, fingerprints, dental records or DNA testing.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.