Charges pending, three injured in crash into TVA transmission tower

Posted at 1:56 am January 23, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Charges are pending after a crash into an electrical transmission tower that caused widespread power outages Friday afternoon, Jan. 22, 2021, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Charges are pending and three people were injured in a single-vehicle crash into a large high-voltage transmission tower that caused widespread power outages Friday afternoon, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said.

The crash was reported at about 4:15 p.m. Friday at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

A preliminary report from the THP said Dustin Elliot, 28, of Mobile, Alabama, was driving a white 2015 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck north on South Illinois Avenue (State Route 62) when he went off the right side of the road and hit the Tennessee Valley Authority transmission tower. The tower was damaged, knocked over, and leaning over the road.

Other utility poles were damaged because of the tower collapse, THP said.

The report doesn’t say why the pickup truck went off the road. It was a dry, sunny afternoon at the time of the crash. A Bobcat was on its side near the pickup truck where it came to rest on the side of South Illinois Avenue.

Elliot was injured in the crash, THP said. He will be charged for driving with a suspended driver’s license, failure to use due care, and a seat belt violation, THP said. He was not wearing a seat belt, THP said.

Elliot had two passengers, also of Mobile, Alabama, and they were both injured, according to the report. The passengers were also not wearing seat belts, the report said.

The passengers were Dan Weaver, 36, and David Sommers, 22.

A large electrical transmission tower was knocked down in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday afternoon, Jan. 22, 2021, causing widespread power outages. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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