Horrific accident on Smithville Highway: Two women suffer fatal injuries, another airlifted

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Members of North Warren Volunteer Fire Department survey the car in which two victims were killed in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 56 North Saturday afternoon. (Duane Sherrill photo)

Two people were killed and two injured in a three-car, head-on crash on Highway 56 North near Gath Saturday afternoon.

Dead at the scene of the accident were Ima J. Jones, 65, and passenger E. Virginia Cantrell, 93.

According to Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Mosley, the fatally injured victims were northbound, heading away from McMinnville, on Smithville Highway around 3 p.m. Their Oldsmobile was struck head-on by a southbound Pontiac Grand Am driven by Laticia A. Vaughn, 28.

Preliminary reports revealed Vaughn crossed the center line. It is not known what caused her vehicle to swerve over the line.

The impact of the crash threw the Oldsmobile over an embankment. The Vaughn vehicle spun on impact and struck another car, driven by Janice D. Crawford, 32, which was immediately behind the northbound Oldsmobile.

Crawford was transported to River Park for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Vaughn was airlifted from the scene by AirEvac helicopter and is under treatment for serious injuries at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. All four victims were from McMinnville.

The fatally injured victims were extricated by the Warren County Emergency Ambulance Service with assistance from the North Warren Fire Department. An investigation is continuing into the wreck.