Local authorities worked the scene of a tragic one-car crash last Wednesday morning that killed a local veteran.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 30-year-old Thomas Claston Beltz was killed on Highway 146 (Short Mountain Highway) when his struck a telephone pole.

In a statement, the THP reported that on January 10, at around 1:38 a.m., Beltz was traveling south on Highway 146 in a 2017 Ford F150 when he failed to negotiate a curve and overcorrected. The vehicle went off the right side of the roadway, striking a utility pole, before overturning and coming to a final rest. Beltz was not wearing his seatbelt.