Two persons lost their lives — one a former council member’s wife — and three children were injured in a t-bone crash on Sparta Hwy. Saturday afternoon.
The crash resulted in the closing of the main artery from the west into Crossville for a couple of hours as investigators with the Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated the crash.
Dead at the scene were drivers of the two vehicles involved, identified by THP as Garry Grant, 66, Evensville in Rhea County, and Camilia Wyatt, 90, of Holiday Hills in Crossville.
Wyatt is the wife of former Crossville councilmember Boyd Wyatt Sr., a long time political figure and civic leader in the community.
Crossville emergency responders were dispatched to the intersection of Sparta Hwy. and Sparta Dr. around 4:15 p.m. Saturday and found a two-vehicle crash. The result of the crash and rush of multiple ambulances and fire personnel resulted in the closing of the highway.
Crossville Police called THP to investigate the crash and Trooper Ryder Cook filed a preliminary report on the wreck Monday.
According to the report, Grant was driving a 2018 Chrysler CHR that exited Sparta Dr. turning west and traveled into the path of a 2007 Cadillac Escalade driven east by Wyatt.
The Cadillac struck the Chrysler on the front driver’s side door. After impact, Grant’s vehicle came to rest facing west in the center turn lane and the Cadillac came to rest facing north in the west lane of the road.
Extrication was required on both vehicles and helicopters were dispatched to the Crossville airport to pick up the critically injured passengers.
At least one of three children in the Grant vehicle suffered serious injuries. That 11-year-old was flown to The University of Tennessee Medical Center and the child’s condition is not known at deadline.
Two female juveniles — ages 9 and 5 — received lesser injuries as did a 32-year-old passenger identified as Ashley Grant, 32, of Evensville.
It is believed some of the injured were transported to Cumberland Medical Center for treatment.
About the same time as this crash was reported, a two-vehicle crash was reported on Hwy. 70 N. in the area of W. Creston Rd. Although first reported as a serious crash, it is believed no life-threatening injuries were suffered.
There were at least a dozen traffic wrecks in Cumberland County on I-40, county roads and city streets during the weekend with several involving injuries.