When teens get their driver’s licenses, they should expect that others they share the road with will be as diligent as they strive to be. That’s not always the case, however. A heartbreaking accident in Maryville recently took the life of a teenage driver and a man driving a separate vehicle.
The 16-year-old girl, who had recently gotten her license, was on her way to practice with the school dance team. As she drove on Highway 411, she unfortunately encountered a Chrysler Sebring that was driven by a 44-year-old man from Maryville.
That driver had apparently been clocked at high speeds above the 55 mph limit by a nearby trooper. However, before the officer could turn his car around to pursue the driver, that man crossed the center of a turn lane and crashed head-on with the teen’s vehicle. She was killed in the accident. The other driver later died at a hospital as well.
The trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol says that he didn’t even get a chance to pursue the driver. By the time he reached the top of a hill on the dry stretch of road, he came upon the crash wreckage.
According to media reports, at this point the authorities don’t know what happened to cause the crash.
Meanwhile, the teen’s dance team, for which she was the “spirit leader,” is in mourning. Counselors are apparently there to assist the girl’s team members, who are said to be “devastated.”
The teen’s mother described her daughter as “cheerful, bubbly, goofy.”
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, “Blount teen, 16, killed in wreck remembered for positive attitude, cheerfulness,” Robert Wilson, Aug. 16, 2012
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