Cooper survives terrifying crash – Escapes interstate wreck with broken ribs, abrasions
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According to Cooper?s legislative assistant, Christina Barber, the senator suffered a couple of broken ribs and several cuts and bruises. Barber said doctors at Vanderbilt don?t suspect any internal injuries or head trauma.
?He?s up in bed talking and he?s pretty sore,? said Barber. ?He?s not going to feel good for quite awhile but it looks like he?s going to be OK.?
According to accident reports, Cooper?s 2002 Chevy Trailblazer was traveling in the left lane of Interstate 24 heading toward Manchester. Eyewitnesses say Cooper veered off the left side of the road, hit the grassy median and flipped four or five times.
His vehicle came to rest in a lane on the other side of the interstate. Oncoming traffic was able to avoid Cooper, who remained in the driver?s seat because he was wearing his seat belt.
?That could have easily been fatal,? said state Rep. Charles Curtiss, who stopped by the hospital yesterday. ?It?s a miracle he wasn?t hurt any worse.?
Witnesses said they didn?t see any reason for Cooper, 58, to veer off the road. The accident happened around 9 p.m. near Buchanan Road near mile marker 89.
?He was somewhat conscious when they arrived,? said Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning. ?He was in and out of consciousness.?
Cooper was flown from the accident scene by LifeFlight helicopter and arrived at Vanderbilt at 10:41 p.m., according to hospital records.
Cooper was admitted to Vanderbilt?s Trauma Unit under the care of Dr. William P. Riordan Jr. Cooper was listed in critical condition before Riordan upgraded his condition to stable at 8 a.m. Thursday.
Cooper?s immediate family was with him yesterday and several legislators stopped in to check on his condition.
Browning said no signs of alcohol were found at the scene. He indicated a blood sample was taken from Cooper as standard procedure. He said that blood sample has been sent to the TBI lab and would take four to six weeks to process.
Driver Kris Shoenburger and passenger Robert Lintner of Chicago, who were returning home from the Super Bowl, didn?t witness the crash but stopped to help. They are both volunteer firefighters in their community. They tried to keep Cooper calm until paramedics arrived.
?He wanted to fight us,? Shoenburger said.
Lintner said Cooper was ?being so combative.?
Lintner grabbed a towel to help stop the bleeding and climbed in through the windshield where he tried to keep the state senator warm in the freezing temperatures. Lintner tried to reassure Cooper and keep him talking while waiting for help.
Paramedics stabilized Cooper while waiting for LifeFlight.
Vehicles were backed up five miles while the crash was being investigated. The interstate reopened about 12:30 a.m.
Cooper has been attending General Assembly sessions this week, and lawmakers said they saw him at Wednesday night receptions in Nashville hosted by the Tennessee Press Association, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Bankers Association.
?I saw him and spoke to him and he was fine,? Tennessee Press Association managing editor Elenora Edwards said of Cooper.
Cooper is scheduled to go on trial March 5 in Chattanooga on charges of bank fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy to commit bank and mail fraud. He is accused of using a fraudulent appraisal and political influence to help an Alabama businessman borrow $1.7 million for the 1999 purchase of Cooper?s lumber mill in Warren County.
In addition to Warren County, Cooper represents Franklin, Bledsoe, Coffee, Grundy, Sequatchie, and Van Buren counties in the 14th District.
Murfreesboro Post reporter Lisa Marchesoni contributed to this report.