It was a dangerous week on DeKalb County roadways with several crashes resulting in injuries.
A Friday crash resulted in only minor injuries on Allen Ferry Road (Highway 83) in Smithville last Friday afternoon. Authorities say that the edge of the narrow roadway gave way, contributing to the wreck.
Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Bobby Johnson reported that 20-year-old MacKenzie Croy of Crossville, TN, was traveling east in a Chevy Colorado when the edge of the roadway crumbled, causing Croy to overcorrect and cross the center line.
At the same time, a Chevy Silverado driven by 50-year-old Michael Herren of Lebanon, TN, was traveling westbound, and the Colorado struck the Silverado, which caused Croy’s vehicle to overturn, coming to rest on its top in the middle of the roadway.
Willow Stewart, a 19-year-old passenger in Herren’s vehicle, received minor cuts and scrapes in the crash. Smithville Police, deputies with the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department, Smithville Fire, and DeKalb EMS responded to the scene.
Later that same day, a man riding a zero-turn lawnmower was struck by a truck, after the lawnmower entered a busy highway.
Trooper Wade Meyers reports that 87-year-old Erby France was on a zero turn lawn mower when he entered a stretch of Highway 56 South (McMinnville Highway) from his driveway in the Shiny Rock area.
As France entered the roadway, he was struck by a 1999 Chevy Silverado, driven by 40-year-old Leoncio Ramirez of McMinnville, TN. Ramirez had been towing a tandem trailer loaded with two zero-turn lawnmowers, and tried to brake to avoid the collision, but the truck hit France then jackknifed in the northbound lane and ran into a ditch.
France was thrown from the mower and landed face down in the roadway. He was transported to the hospital by DeKalb EMS, and was reportedly alert and talking at the time.
Ramirez was not injured in the crash, but was charged for driving on a suspended license and having no insurance.