According to DNJ.com, one person was killed and six other people were injured in a suspected drunk driving accident in Smyrna on February 17.
The crash reportedly occurred on Old Nashville Highway. DNJ.com reported that 53-year-old Ronald King of Murfreesboro was killed when he drove his Toyota Celica around a vehicle and into oncoming traffic, striking a Chevrolet Trailblazer head-on.
In a Tennessee Highway Patrol investigative report, a trooper wrote that she believed King was under the influence of alcohol, sending samples of his blood to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Nashville Crime Laboratory for evaluation.
Deborah Debenadetto, 64, who was inside the Trailblazer, was transported by LifeFlight helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to DNJ.com. She reportedly sustained critical injuries.
Montoya Taylor, 39, who was also inside the Trailblazer, was transported via helicopter to the hospital with injuries and released. Maria Tarpley, 18, of Smyrna, who was driving the vehicle, was also injured. Other injured passengers in the vehicle included Ruth Griggs, 71, of Murfreesboro, Debra Osterheld, 63, of Smyrna and Gloria Johnson, 66, of Smyrna.
I HAVE BEEN INJURED IN A SMYRNA CAR ACCIDENT
As we reported on Monday, drunk driving is responsible for 60 percent of wrong-way or head-on crashes. According to the Tennessee Department of Public Safety, there was an average of 9,480 drunken driving crashes each year in the state from 2003 to 2007.
If you have been hurt by a drunk driver or sustained a wrongful death in your family, our Nashville vehicle accident lawyer has decades of experience assisting victims. Call us today at (615) 866-3938.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
Davis’ Did You Know? In 2012, 29 percent of all Tennessee fatal accidents involved drunk drivers.