The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:28 PM

One Dead, Two Injured In Union County Crash

Two people were sent to the hospital and one person was reported dead after a traffic crash in Union County Friday afternoon.

Union County dispatch told Local 8 News the crash was called in at 3:52 p.m. Four vehicles were involved in the wreck, including a tractor trailer.

The crash occurred on State Route 33 in Union County and closed lanes in both directions, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The crash happened between Satterfield Road and Raccoon Valley Road.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a 2001 Dodge Ram pickup was traveling north on State Hwy 33, while a 2002 Chevy Cavalier, a 2016 Ford F150 and a 2013 Freightliner tractor trailer were traveling south.

THP said the Dodge Ram pickup crossed the center dividing line, sideswiping the Chevy Cavalier. The Ford F150 made a controlled maneuver to avoid collision with the pickup, causing the F150 to run off the right side of the roadway. The F150 then struck standing trees and came to a final rest.

The Dodge Ram then continued in the southbound lanes, striking the tractor trailer head-on. The Chevy Cavalier came to a final rest facing east on the south shoulder. The Dodge Ram came to a rest facing east in the northbound lanes. The driver of the Dodge Ram was identified as 57-year-old Bruce K. Miles, of Maynardville. THP said Miles died in the crash.

The drivers of the Chevy Cavalier and the tractor trailer were both injured in the wreck.

The tractor trailer came to a final rest facing south on the shoulder of the roadway.