Oak Ridge Today

Cedar Hill Playground temporarily closed

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has temporarily closed Cedar Hill Playground due to a tree hazard, the City of Oak Ridge said Friday, Aug. 23, 2019. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department has temporarily closed Cedar Hill Playground due to a tree hazard. The playground will remain closed until crews are able to fully address the situation, a press release said.

“Crews have been working to safely trim the affected tree, but additional work is required,” the press release said. “Safety fencing and caution tape have been installed around the playground, and signs are being posted to notify the public of the temporary closure.”

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‘Amazing’: Small pole keeps large tree from falling on house

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leaning-tree-manhattan-avenue-dec-29-2016

A small utility pole, pictured at center, kept a large oak tree from falling on a home on Manhattan Avenue, next to Woodland Elementary School, for a few hours on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016. The tree was estimated to be about 75 years old and weigh roughly 10 tons. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 10 p.m. Dec. 30.

A small utility pole kept a large, leaning oak tree, estimated to weigh about 10 tons, from falling on a home on Manhattan Avenue, next to Woodland Elementary School, for several hours on Thursday morning.

Emergency workers were assessing how to remove the oak tree late Thursday morning. Barnhart Crane and Rigging was called to help find city workers and tree crews find a solution.

In the meantime, Manhattan Avenue was closed near Woodland Elementary School. [Read more…]

Driver dies after vehicle crashes into tree on Lafayette Drive

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Lafayette Drive Fatal Crash into Tree

A southbound Toyota 4Runner crashed into a tree in the median of Lafayette Drive Thursday morning, and the driver died on the way to a Knoxville hospital. Above, workers remove the tree from the road after the driver was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

The driver of a Toyota 4Runner died on the way to a Knoxville hospital Thursday morning after crashing into a tree on Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge, authorities said.

The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 9:22 a.m. Thursday on Lafayette Drive between Hendrix Drive and South Illinois Avenue, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. The red sports utility vehicle was driving south when it left the roadway and struck a tree in the median between the southbound and northbound lanes.

“The driver was removed from the vehicle and was unresponsive when police and rescue arrived,” the ORPD said. “The driver of the vehicle expired while being transported to University of Tennessee Hospital. No further information will be released pending notification of family members, and the investigation remains ongoing.” [Read more…]

Vehicle strikes two cars, house before fleeing, police say

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An unknown driver in an unknown vehicle hit two parked cars on Outer Drive early Saturday morning, sideswiped a tree, and struck a house before fleeing, authorities said.

The crash at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday just east of Florida Avenue damaged the foundation of a home at 97 Outer Drive, Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Daniel Freytag said in a report. [Read more…]