Charges Pending Against Truck Driver in High Speed Crash

The driver of a pickup truck responsible for a high speed traffic accident Monday night on Cookeville Highway near the Smithville city limits is facing charges pending the outcome of the crash investigation. But according to Sheriff Patrick Ray, there was no law enforcement pursuit of the truck driver at the time of the wreck.
No arrest has yet been made but the case is under investigation by Trooper Tommy Cooper of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The name of the driver has not been released.
Trooper Cooper told WJLE that the driver of a 1998 Dodge 1500 pickup was north on Highway 56 when he struck a southbound 2012 Chevy Sonic, driven by 44 year old Danny Niles of Smithville. After hitting the car, the truck kept going until it went off the right side of the highway, struck a Smithville Electric System utility pole, and then plunged down an embankment. After the wreck the driver abandoned the truck and fled the scene.
Niles, who spoke with WJLE about the accident Wednesday, said he was traveling south on Cookeville Highway when he saw the truck heading toward him in his (Niles’) lane at a very high rate of speed, possibly as fast as 100 miles per hour. Niles said he swerved to the left trying to avoid a possible head-on collision. “He was in my lane and I made a left turn but he clipped my back rear passenger side. My car spun around and ended up in a ditch. He (truck driver) kept going. He went into the grass, hit a utility pole, and wrecked. He then got out and ran off,” Niles told WJLE.
Niles, who suffered cuts and bruises to his face, said he went to see a doctor Tuesday morning and discovered that he also had a broken finger and a mild whiplash.
While the truck driver was traveling at a high rate of speed he was apparently not being pursued by law enforcement at the time. Sheriff Ray told WJLE that a deputy was stopped in the southbound lane at the red light on Highway 56 and East Main Street near the Post Office when he saw the truck run the stop light speeding north. No officer was in pursuit. By the time the deputy turned around, he lost sight of the truck and did not engage in a pursuit. The wreck happened moments later.