A Smithville woman was seriously injured Wednesday night during the snow storm after her car ran into a concrete bridge support at the College Street overpass on West Broad Street and then spun into the path of a DeKalb County Highway Department pickup truck.
Central dispatch received the call at 6:50 p.m.
Sergeant Jimmy Jones of the Tennessee Highway Patrol told WJLE that 33 year old Jessica Renee Owen was taken by DeKalb EMS to DeKalb Community Hospital. The driver of the truck, 30 year old Phillip Wayne Waggoner of Smithville, was reportedly treated and released at the local hospital.
According to Sergeant Jones, Owen was traveling west on Highway 70 in a 1992 Chevrolet Lumina when she came up behind the 2001 county owned Dodge Ram pickup. Both vehicles were traveling west in the left (inside) lane. Owen later told Sergeant Jones that she felt like traffic was moving too slowly so she pulled out in the turning lane to pass Waggoner. Owen was just getting by Waggoner, when her car struck the bridge support. Upon impact, Owen’s car spun into the path of Waggoner’s truck and while he had applied his brakes, Waggoner could not avoid running into her vehicle.
Owen, who was not wearing her seatbelt, apparently suffered serious injuries as her head struck the windshield.
According to Sergeant Jones alcohol was involved in the crash and Owen has been charged with driving under the influence, improper passing, violation of the seat belt law, violation of the financial responsibility law (no insurance), and two misdemeanor drug possession charges.
Waggoner, who was not at fault in the collision, was wearing his seatbelt.
Archived News & Obituaries