Two medical helicopters responded to a crash on South Illinois Avenue near the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Friday afternoon, May 26, 2017. One helicopter is partially visible just to the left of the road sign in the median above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 6:40 p.m.
Two medical helicopters responded to a crash on South Illinois Avenue near the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Friday afternoon.
The crash was reported at about 2:45 p.m. Friday. The first helicopter, a UT Lifestar helicopter, departed at about 3:20 p.m., just as the second one approached to land on South Illinois Avenue.
It’s not clear yet how many vehicles or occupants were involved.
South Illinois Avenue is closed between Union Valley Road and Bethel Valley Road, and traffic is being detoured. There were long lines of cars on Scarboro Road, Edgemoor Road, and Bethel Valley Road as drivers drove the alternate routes.
It was the second crash that shut down part of South Illinois on Friday. Earlier Friday, a section of the road was closed between Lafayette Drive/Scarboro Road and South Rutgers Avenue after a three-vehicle crash involving a dump truck spilled about 100 gallons of diesel fuel on the five-lane road. The road was shut down while workers cleaned up the fuel.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
See newer story here. Officials say one person died and four people were injured in the two-vehicle crash.
Two medical helicopters responded to a crash on South Illinois Avenue near the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Friday afternoon, May 26, 2017. The first helicopter, a UT Lifestar helicopter, left the crash with a patient at about 3:20 p.m. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Two medical helicopters responded to a crash on South Illinois Avenue near the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Friday afternoon, May 26, 2017. The second helicopter, also a UT Lifestar helicopter, arrived at the crash at about 3:20 p.m. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
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Kay Williamson says
John, your online paper is the best, the service you provide is so grateful to the oak ridge community, I personally thank you so much also.
johnhuotari says
Thank you, Kay. We appreciate your support.