Oak Ridge Today

Woman injured in Friday crash in stable condition at UT Medical Center

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Mindy Carter

Mindy Carter (Photo used with family’s permission)

 

The woman trapped and injured after a trailer carrying a loader crashed into the car she was driving in Oak Ridge on Friday was in stable condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville on Tuesday, a spokesperson said.

Arminda “Mindy” Carter, 32, of Oak Ridge was flown to the UT Medical Center by a Lifestar helicopter after the Friday evening crash on Emory Valley Road at Carnegie Drive in east Oak Ridge.

Both legs were broken in the crash and she had broken ribs and right shoulder, as well as multiple lacerations and a torn quad, said Carter’s brother, Justin Pruitt.

She had a surgery on her left leg, which was broken above the ankle and below the knee, on Friday night, Pruitt said.

She was scheduled to have a surgery on a broken femur in her right leg on Tuesday, Pruitt said Monday evening. [Read more…]

Police: Trailer came loose from truck before crashing into car on Friday

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Car-Trailer-Crash-Emory-Valley-Road-Sept-2-2016-1-Web

The crash between a car and trailer with a small loader on it on Emory Valley Road on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, happened after the trailer came loose from a truck hitch and crossed into an oncoming lane, where it hit the car, authorities said. It took the Oak Ridge Fire Department and rescuers about 55 minutes to free the female driver pinned inside the car, and they used a tow truck to help lift the trailer and loader to take weight off the driver, Mindy Carter, 32, of Oak Ridge. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The crash between a car and trailer with a small loader on it on Emory Valley Road on Friday happened after the trailer came loose from a truck hitch and crossed into an oncoming lane, where it hit the car, authorities said.

The 1994 GMC truck was being driven east on Emory Valley Road at about 5:29 p.m. Friday by Gerald D. Cureton, 71, of Knoxville, when the two-vehicle crash occurred at Carnegie Drive, according to an Oak Ridge Police Department crash report.

The truck was towing a trailer with a small Case four-wheeled skid steer loader.

Headed west, in the opposite direction, was Arminda “Mindy” Carter, 32, of Oak Ridge. She was driving a 2010 Toyota Camry four-door sedan, the report said.

As the two vehicles approached the intersection, the trailer came free of the hitch used to secure it to the truck, according to the ORPD crash report. [Read more…]

Miraculous: Woman survives when trailer, small loader crash into car

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Rescuers said it was a miracle that a woman survived when a trailer carrying a small loader crashed into her Toyota Camry on Emory Valley Road on Friday evening, Sept. 2, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:30 p.m.

Rescuers said it was a miracle that a woman survived when a trailer carrying a small loader crashed into her Toyota Camry on Emory Valley Road on Friday evening.

It took the Oak Ridge Fire Department about 55 minutes to remove the woman, who was pinned inside the car. She was flown by a Lifestar medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

The woman, who was not identified, was talking to rescuers, authorities said. Her condition wasn’t clear, but she was reported to be conscious and alert.

“That’s probably the worst extrication I’ve seen where the person was still alive,” Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said. “There was an angel with her today.” [Read more…]

ORFD, ORHS to dedicate flagpole in memory of 9/11 victims

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ORHS flagpole wide

The Oak Ridge Fire Department and the Oak Ridge High School 9/11 WTC Committee will join together on Sunday, September 11, to remember the tragic events that happened 15 years ago, a press release said. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Fire Department and the Oak Ridge High School 9/11 WTC Committee will join together on Sunday, September 11, to remember the tragic events that happened 15 years ago, a press release said.

There will be a group meeting to officially unveil the new flagpole added this past year and to dedicate it in memory of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“Thanks to generous donations from the American Legion Post 2 out of Knoxville and from Woodmen of the World, the site is now home to a 30-foot flagpole that is capable of flying a flag all the time,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Fire apparently starts with oily rags, causes heavy damage to Eagles building

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Eagles-Fire-Side-Interior-Aug-13-2016

A fire caused heavy damage to the Fraternal Order of Eagles at 1650 Oak Ridge Turnpike early Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016, authorities said. Damage is visible from a side door at the Eagles at about 4 a.m. Saturday. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 14.

A fire that appears to have started with oily rags being stored improperly in a kitchen caused heavy damage to the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Oak Ridge Turnpike early Saturday, and the structure may have to be rebuilt, authorities said.

The fire was reported at about 2 a.m. Saturday at 1650 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The Eagles building, which has yellow siding, is the first building on the right side of the Turnpike as you head toward Kingston from Illinois Avenue.

There was heavy smoke coming out of all sides of the building when firefighters arrived, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.

An Eagles member said the building had an alarm system, but there is no record of the alarm company calling 911 to report the fire, the Oak Ridge Fire Department said in a press release. Instead, a passing motorist saw the heavy smoke coming from the building and called 911 to report the fire. [Read more…]

Fire Department rescues four stranded at night on boat in Clinch River

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The Oak Ridge Fire Department rescued four people stranded on a boat Wednesday night on the Clinch River, authorities said.

There was an initial call of someone possibly missing Wednesday night, and the Oak Ridge Police Department called the Oak Ridge Fire Department to help locate the stranded occupants of the boat, authorities said.

The people in the boat were able to stay in touch with dispatchers using a cell phone. Someone in the boat had a flashlight, and they used it to help alert rescuers to their location. They told dispatchers they could see a bridge. Rescuers thought that must be either the Edgemoor Road or Solway bridge.

The boat’s occupants reported being in a cove near houses, said ORFD Firefighter and Engineer George Carroll. [Read more…]

One driver possibly injured when SUV rolls in two-car crash on Turnpike

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Oak Ridge Turnpike Illinois Avenue Crash July 21 2016

One driver was possibly injured and had to be extricated by the Oak Ridge Fire Department after a two-car crash on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Illinois Avenue on Thursday, July 21, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A driver was possibly injured when his sport utility vehicle rolled after colliding with another SUV on Oak Ridge Turnpike on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The crash was reported in the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike just east of Illinois Avenue at about 1:38 p.m. Thursday.

Authorities said Charles W. Rhoads, 70, Oak Ridge, was driving west in the left lane in a 2002 GMC Envoy SUV when he tried to move over to the right lane, hitting the left side of a 2005 Ford Escape SUV driven by Carla F. Wheeler, 48, of Kingston.

The Envoy driven by Rhoads turned over onto its driver side after the collision, a crash report said. Rhoads was trapped, and the Oak Ridge Fire Department used power tools and a crew to remove him before he was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Spontaneous combustion sparks small fire in warehouse

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Spontaneous combustion from oily rags discarded in a waste container appear to have started a Thursday morning fire at an Oak Ridge warehouse on July 21, 2016, authorities said. (Submitted photo)

Spontaneous combustion from oily rags discarded in a waste container appear to have started a Thursday morning fire at an Oak Ridge warehouse on July 21, 2016, authorities said. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

Spontaneous combustion from oily rags discarded in a waste container appear to have started a Thursday morning fire at an Oak Ridge warehouse, authorities said.

The Oak Ridge Fire Department responded to the fire after a sprinkler system activated at a warehouse at 342 Warehouse Road at about 6:50 a.m. Thursday, July 21.

Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the windows and doors of the building when they arrived, a press release said.

“The fire crew entered through the front door and quickly extinguished a fire in a waste container,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Driver injured after SUV crashes down embankment on South Illinois

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South-Illinois-Avenue-Crash-July-3-2016

A driver was injured after an SUV crashed down an embankment alongside South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge late Sunday or early Monday, July 4, 2016. The embankment is alongside a big hill coming down into Oak Ridge between Centrifuge Way and Scarboro Road. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A driver was injured when a sport utility vehicle crashed down a steep embankment and into a wooded area alongside the northbound lanes of South Illinois Avenue around midnight Sunday, authorities said.

The northbound lanes of South Illinois Avenue were closed for several hours coming down the hill into Oak Ridge between Centrifuge Way and Scarboro Road/Lafayette Drive as the Oak Ridge Police Department investigated the crash.

The name, age, and condition of the driver weren’t immediately available. No other vehicles were reported to be involved. [Read more…]

TWRA looking for watercraft riders in hit-and-run crash that injures four on Melton Hill Lake

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Personal Watercraft Operator Melton Hill Lake Crash June 30 2016

A photo of a personal watercraft and operator that witnesses described as striking a boat containing a family pulling a child on a tube on Melton Hill Lake on Thursday, June 30, 2016. (Photo courtesy TWRA)

 

Tennessee officials are investigating a hit-and-run boating crash on Thursday on Melton Hill Lake in the area of Clark Park and Knox County Park.

The crash was reported at about 7:45 p.m. Thursday. Among the agencies that responded were the Oak Ridge Fire Department, which went to Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge.

According to witnesses, two personal watercrafts, or PWCs, were operating near the bluffs directly across from Knox County Park and going back and forth between the dock at the park and the bluffs where others were swimming, according to a press release from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Witnesses describe the operators as being reckless and inconsiderate, and as one of the PWCs left the bluff and headed toward the park, it collided with a boat in the area containing a family pulling a child on a tube. [Read more…]

Fires destroy two homes Friday, one in Oliver Springs, other on Dutch Valley Road

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Hen Valley Road Fire June 24 2016

A fire destroyed a home on Hen Valley Road in Oliver Springs late Friday, June 24, 2016. (Photo by Tom Scott)

 

OLIVER SPRINGS—Fires destroyed two homes on Friday, one in Oliver Springs and the other on Dutch Valley Road.

The first fire was reported at about 12:55 a.m. Friday at 1351 Dutch Valley Road in Anderson County.

The large, one-story, brick veneer home was completely on fire when the first units arrived from the nearby Marlow Fire Department Station 2 (located at the old Donovan School), fire photographer Tom Scott said. The Marlow Fire department responded with two engines and two tankers.

In response to mutual aid requests, the Oliver Springs Fire Department sent an engine and a rescue truck, and the Blair Fire Department sent an engine.

Anderson County Emergency Medical Services had a medic unit standing by at the scene. The fire units were on the scene until about 5 a.m. Friday, Scott said. The house was totally destroyed. [Read more…]

Motorcyclist injured in truck-motorcycle crash

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Edgemoor-Road-Motorcycle-and-Truck-Crash-June-23-2016

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and other authorities and emergency medical services respond to a crash between a motorcycle and a tractor-trailer on Edgemoor Road at Haw Ridge Park on Thursday, June 23, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 1:52 p.m.

A motorcyclist was injured in a crash between a tractor-trailer and a motorcycle on Edgemoor Road on Thursday morning, authorities said.

The crash between an 18-wheeler and a motorcycle was reported at about 8:28 a.m. Thursday at Haw Ridge Park.

The name and condition of the motorcyclist and the type of motorcycle weren’t available Thursday morning. The motorcyclist was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Oak Ridge Police Department Chief Jim Akagi said the motorcyclist was driving east on Edgemoor Road, headed toward Clinton Highway, when the motorcyclist appears to have passed the truck on the right, apparently on the shoulder of the road, as the eastbound tractor-trailer turned right into the parking lot at Haw Ridge. The motorcycle appears to have hit the truck on its passenger side, Akagi said. [Read more…]