News Release
WARSAW — A crash on Tuesday morning claimed the life of a longtime Warsaw teacher.
The accident happened at about 10:45 a.m. at the intersection of State Road 15 and County Road 200S, according to a news release by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office.
The collision involved a Nissan pick-up truck and a Freightliner Box truck.
Preliminary investigation determined the Nissan pick-up truck was
northbound on State Road 15 and the Freightliner box truck was
westbound on County Road 200 south. The two vehicles collided in the
intersection.
Gene B. Butts, 94, of Warsaw, was the driver of the Nissan and died at the scene.
Brittany E. Simons, 35, Rochester, was the driver of the Freightliner and was not injured in the crash. Two passengers in her vehicle also escaped injury.
Butts taught for decades at Lincoln Elementary, where he shared his love of history.
Just a few years ago, Butts joined others in defending the importance of protecting a huge historic Sycamore tree a block from the school after it was initially targeted for removal.
The accident remains under investigation by the KCSO FACT Team.
Assisting at the scene were the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, Lutheran EMS, Reichert & Knepp Wrecker Service, Indiana State Police and the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office.
