Baby safe, but 1 killed: Head-on collision claims Clifford?s life

This red Chevy Blazer driven by Candace Jones, 17, was heading toward McMinnville on Old Shelbyville Road when it collided head-on with a Ford van driven by Kenneth Clifford, 42, who died at the scene.

According to Highway Patrol reports, Candace Jones, 17, strayed approximately 3 feet over the centerline to cause a horrific head-on crash near Old Well Road.

Officers are not sure what caused Jones, a McMinnville resident, to enter the other lane of traffic. Speculation is she could have been attending to her son, 10-month-old Joshua Jones, in the back seat. Joshua was properly restrained in a child safety seat and was unharmed other than a mild scrape on his neck.

According to the accident report, the collision happened shortly after 5 p.m. as Jones was driving toward McMinnville in a Chevy Blazer when she entered the path of a Ford van driven by Clifford.

Skid marks show Clifford used his brakes and attempted to steer off the road. There is no indication Jones tried to brake.

Although a citizen who lived nearby rushed to the scene and sprayed a fire extinguisher on the Blazer, troopers say they aren?t sure the vehicle was ever on fire.

Jones was airlifted from a field located next to the accident site and flown to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. A passenger in the Ford van, Cody McFarland, 23, of Manchester, suffered an arm injury.

Old Shelbyville Road is a narrow, twisting, two-lane road that is a common place for automobile accidents.