Florida man seriously injured after plummet in I-75 wreck

A Florida man had to be flown to Knoxville following a single vehicle crash Tuesday morning when his pick-up truck went over a guardrail on I-75 and down an embankment near the state line.

South Whitley Volunteer Fire Chief Wayne Honeycutt said that based on the condition of the vehicle the victim was "very lucky" to be alive.

"It probably impacted the driver’s side of the vehicle. He’s very lucky is all I know," Honeycutt added.

The accident happened in the northbound lane shortly about 7:45 a.m. about 250 yards from the Kentucky Welcome Center.
Nathan Stone, 75, of Wildwood, Florida, was driving a 2001 Chevrolet pick-up truck north on I-75 when he lost control of the vehicle, went over the guardrail and clipped the edge of a bridge before going down the embankment, said Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell.

Honeycutt estimated that the vehicle traveled between 100 and 120 feet down the embankment where it landed close to the river.

Stone was able to exit the vehicle on his own and crawled partially up the embankment before emergency officials got to him.
Whitley County EMS treated him at the scene.

South Whitley volunteer fire fighters and members of the Jellico Rescue Squad set up an emergency-landing zone at the Kentucky Welcome Center where an Air Evac Lifeteam emergency medical helicopter landed.

Harrell said that Stone was in stable condition when the helicopter lifted off transporting him to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for further treatment.

Honeycutt said that Stone apparently suffered some type of head injury in addition to other injuries.

Honeycutt said that Stone was pulling a small trailer behind the truck but that he isn’t sure what was on it.

Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Shelley investigated the crash and was assisted by Deputy Brian Lawson at the scene.