When traveling on a busy highway, turning at an intersection can be tricky. Drivers need to be aware how much time they have to turn before they might encounter other vehicles. Yielding the right-of-way is extremely important, as is allowing enough time to complete a turn safely. Unfortunately, sometimes turns, especially left turns, can result in serious or even deadly car accidents.
One such accident happened last week in Sevierville. A 52-year-old woman was reportedly driving her 2011 Kia on U.S. 411 near Hattie Branch Road. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the woman was driving south on the road when she encountered another vehicle that was turning.
That vehicle was a 2000 Silverado pickup truck driven by a 70-year-old woman from Sevierville. She apparently attempted to turn from 411 onto Hattie Branch Road when the truck collided with the Kia head-on. Both vehicles came to rest in the middle of the roadway.
Each driver had a passenger in the vehicles with them, and all of them were wearing seat belts. Even so, an 84-year-old passenger in the Kia, also from Sevierville, died from the injuries she sustained in the crash.
According to media reports, it’s possible that criminal charges will be filed, in addition to citations, relating to the accident, which occurred at about 8:30 in the evening on Friday. Both drivers were injured, as was the 69-year-old passenger who was riding along in the pickup truck.
Source: The Mountain Press, “One dead, three injured after Friday wreck,” Rachel Osborn, Aug. 26, 2012