Oak Ridge Today

Knoxville man dies in motorcycle crash on Old Emory in Claxton

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Old-Emory-Road-Motorcycle-Crash-March-19-2016

A Knoxville man died after he lost control of his motorcycle, struck a guardrail, and landed down an embankment on Old Emory Road in Claxton on Saturday afternoon, authorities said. The Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated the crash, which was reported at the intersection with Walnut Valley Road on Saturday afternoon, March 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

CLAXTON—A Knoxville man died after he lost control of a motorcycle, struck a guardrail, and landed down an embankment on Old Emory Road in Claxton on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at about 2:21 p.m. Saturday at the intersection with Walnut Valley Road, just north of Bull Run Fossil Plant.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said Peter Bolen, 52, was driving south on a 2005 Suzuki motorcycle when he lost control going around a curve and hit the guardrail. The motorcycle crossed the road and stopped in a ditch on the opposite side of the road. [Read more…]

THP investigating motorcycle crash on Old Emory Road in Claxton

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The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a motorcycle crash that was reported on Old Emory Road on Saturday afternoon, March 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7:22 p.m.

CLAXTON—The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating a motorcycle crash reported on Old Emory Road in Claxton on Saturday afternoon.

The crash was reported at about 2:21 p.m. Saturday on Old Emory Road at Walnut Valley Road, just north of the Bull Run Fossil Plant.

Old Emory Road is closed at Walnut Valley Road while the THP investigates.

Besides the THP, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Claxton Fire Department, Anderson County Rescue Squad, and Anderson County Emergency Medical Services also responded.

See newer story here.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

No injuries reported, but cat dies in Norris fire that might have started at laptop

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No injuries were reported but a cat died after a kitchen fire in a Norris home last Friday, authorities said. (Photo courtesy Norris Fire Department/Chief Danny Humphrey)

 

NORRIS—No injuries were reported but a cat died after a kitchen fire in a Norris home last Friday, authorities said. The cause of the fire isn’t known, but authorities said it might have started at a laptop in the kitchen.

The fire was reported at 169 Garden Road at 9:48 a.m. Friday, February 19.

Norris Fire Department firefighters saw heavy smoke when they arrived, according to an incident report. The fire was in the kitchen and had not spread to other areas of the home, the report said. Firefighters were able to extinguish it. [Read more…]

Swift rescue by nephew saves life of Clinch River fisherman

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TWRA logo for news release

Note: This story was last updated at 8:50 p.m.

NORRIS—A fisherman who fell overboard on the Clinch River below Norris Dam on Sunday afternoon has his nephew to thank for quick action that undoubtedly saved his life, officials said.

Cecil Branscom, 70, of Dublin, Virginia, and his nephew Scott Branscom, 48, of Knoxville, launched their boat at Peach Orchard Access Area on the Clinch River on Sunday afternoon and headed upstream toward Norris Dam. When they reached the weir dam at around 2 p.m., they prepared to begin fishing when the boat’s engine hit a rock in the water, sending Cecil overboard from the front of the vessel into 48-degree water.

Scott Branscom managed to get his uncle back into the boat. Cecil Branscom was wearing several layers of clothing that was saturated from the frigid water, and he was not wearing a life jacket, the press release said. [Read more…]

Police identify drivers in fatal car-motorcycle crash

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The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the two drivers in a fatal car-motorcycle crash on North Illinois Avenue on Sunday evening.

The motorcycle was operated by Rufus E. Shephard III, 44, of Oak Ridge, authorities said. The car was driven by Noelle L. Patty, 29, also of Oak Ridge.

The Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle was northbound on North Illinois Avenue when it collided with the car, a Cadillac STS, at the western entrance to the Westcott Center, the Kroger shopping center, at about 5:40 p.m. Sunday, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

Shephard died from his injuries, the release said. [Read more…]

OS man faces charges after head-on collision injures three on Hwy 61

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An Oliver Springs man is facing charges, including driving under the influence, after a head-on collision injured three people in two vehicles on Highway 61 west of Oliver Springs late Friday afternoon. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—An Oliver Springs man is facing charges, including driving under the influence, after a head-on collision injured three people in two vehicles on Highway 61 west of Oliver Springs late Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Ryan P. Price, 33, of Oliver Springs, will be charged with DUI, vehicular assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm while under the influence, a due care violation, failure to maintain lane, violation of the financial responsibility law, and a failure to carry registration, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The THP said a 2003 Dodge Durango driven by Price was traveling east in the westbound lane on State Route 61 near Scandlyn Hollow Road in Roane County at about 4:55 p.m. Friday.

A 2014 Jeep Wrangler driven west by Rodger Mattox, 66, of Oliver Springs, was also in the westbound lane, which was its travel lane, the THP said. [Read more…]

Two adults escape, no injuries in Saturday morning fire in Marlow

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Two people escaped and no one was injured in a fire in a single-wide mobile home on Farmers Hollow Road in Marlow on Saturday morning, Jan. 2, 2016, authorities said. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

Two adults escaped and no one was injured in a Saturday morning fire in a large single-wide mobile home in Marlow, authorities said.

Two adults were in the home when the fire was reported at about 9:40 a.m. Saturday at 238 Farmers Hollow Road, but they escaped before firefighters arrived, said Stephanie Fox, assistant chief of the Marlow Volunteer Fire Department.

A man who lives there said a wall behind a wood-burning stove was on fire when he woke up, and he helped his mother out of the home, Fox said.

But neither was injured, and no one was taken to the hospital, Fox said. [Read more…]

AC committee to consider mayor’s request to sit with, participate in Commission meetings

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The Anderson County Operations Committee on Monday will consider proposals from County Mayor Terry Frank to sit with County Commission and participate in meetings.

Frank has said she wants to serve as chair of the County Commission, and she’s asked to be considered as a candidate in September 2016. In an October 14 letter, Frank also asked commissioners to sit with them during meetings.

If she were commission chair, Frank said, she would have to surrender her veto power. She would have a non-voting position, but she would be able to cast a vote to break a tie. See previous story here.

The Anderson County Operations Committee meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, November 9, in Room 312 of the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. [Read more…]

Police negotiate, but man shoots himself with shotgun after traffic stop

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Note: This story was updated at 9:10 a.m.

A 45-year-old man shot himself with a shotgun after a traffic stop on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Tuesday night and after the Oak Ridge Police Department tried to negotiate with him, authorities said.

The initial call came in at about 10:26 p.m. Tuesday, November 3. ORPD officers were dispatched to the area near the intersection of the Oak Ridge Turnpike and Jefferson Avenue, after Oak Ridge Fire Department personnel reported three cars that appeared to be racing westbound from that location.

One officer stopped a 1999 Toyota pickup truck on the Oak Ridge Turnpike west of Louisiana Avenue for a speed violation, an ORPD press release said. The 45-year-old male driver, and sole occupant of the truck, exited the vehicle brandishing a 20-gauge shotgun, officers said.

The male subject then refused to comply with the officer’s repeated orders to place the weapon on the ground, and he proceeded to walk away from his vehicle while holding the barrel of the shotgun under his chin, the ORPD said. Numerous officers responded to the scene to assist in containing the male subject, who continued to pace back and forth on the sidewalk near his vehicle, the Police Department said. [Read more…]

Knoxville man dies after pickup crash on Bethel Valley Road

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Bethel Valley Road Crash Chevy Oct. 27, 2015

Victor Gujmuit, 25, of Knoxville, was driving westbound in this green Chevy S10 pickup truck on Bethel Valley Road on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 27, 2015, when he lost control and collided with an eastbound Ford Ranger pickup. He was treated at the scene and taken to UT Medical Center, where he later died. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3 p.m. Oct. 29.

A Knoxville man died after he was ejected from his pickup truck in a multi-vehicle crash on Bethel Valley Road on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Police Department has identified the driver as Victor Gujmuit, 25, of Knoxville.

The ORPD said Gujmuit was driving west on Bethel Valley Road in a 1997 Chevrolet S10 pickup when he lost control and entered the inside eastbound lane of the four-lane roadway. His truck collided with a 1996 Ford Ranger pickup driven by Kurt Marcotte, 52, of Knoxville. Gujmuit was ejected onto the roadway in the outside eastbound lane and hit by a 2003 Dodge pickup truck driven by Raymond Lenoir, 57, of Powell, authorities said.

Gujmuit and Marcotte were treated at the scene and taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where Gujmuit later died, the ORPD said. Police have not determined the cause of his death. [Read more…]

Two injured, roadway closed after two-pickup crash on Bethel Valley Road

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Bethel Valley Road Crash Chevy Oct. 27, 2015

A green Chevy S10 pickup truck was involved in a two-vehicle crash with injuries on Bethel Valley Road between Scarboro Road and South Illinois Avenue on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 7:10 p.m.

Two people were taken by ambulance to the hospital after two pickup trucks crashed on Bethel Valley Road on Tuesday afternoon.

Preliminary reports said one person was trapped and one was ejected. But the nature of their injuries weren’t immediately clear.

Authorities said the road could be closed several hours between Scarboro Road and South Illinois Avenue as officers investigate and reconstruct the crash Tuesday evening.

The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately clear. It also wasn’t clear which direction the two pickup trucks were traveling when they collided. One pickup was a green Chevy S10 and the other was a blue Ford Ranger. [Read more…]

Firefighters, ambulance crew respond to roadside baby delivery

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Oak Ridge Fire Engine

Oak Ridge firefighters and an Anderson County ambulance crew responded to a report of a baby delivery at a car rental store on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Sunday night.

The call from Enterprise Rent a Car at 608 Oak Ridge Turnpike came in at 7:58 p.m. Sunday.

The baby was delivered in the short time before the Oak Ridge Fire Department arrived. Emergency workers cut the baby’s cord, and the newborn and mother were taken to the hospital on an Anderson County Emergency Medical Services ambulance, along with two firefighters.

The baby began to cry after firefighters treated it at the scene, and that’s a good sign, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said. [Read more…]