Five flown out following single vehicle crash Friday

Five people had to be flown out by emergency medical helicopter and two more were transported by ambulance to Jellico Community Hospital following a single vehicle crash early Friday afternoon on Wolf Creek Road.

At least three people were ejected from the Ford Expedition, which crashed about half a mile from the US25W intersection about 12:45 p.m.

Conditions of the patients aren’t known as this time.

The Expedition was apparently heading towards US25W when it went off the side of the road in a curve, through a fence, over an embankment and came to rest on its passenger’s side near a tree.

Pleasant View Fire Chief Thomas Manning said that some of his firefighters, who are also members of Emlyn and Goldbug volunteer fire departments, were riding inside the vehicle when it crashed.

About two-dozen volunteer firefighters from Pleasant View, Emlyn and Williamsburg responded to the accident scene.

Williamsburg firefighters set up an emergency-landing zone for the helicopters  near the scene at Russell Strunk’s farm.

Five Whitley County EMS ambulances responded to the scene.

The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the accident. Members of the Williamsburg Police Department also assisted them at the scene

“This is one of the worst ones we have had in five or six months,” Manning said of the wreck. “The rest of the wrecks we have worked have been more or less minor.”

Manning noted that Pleasant View firefighters normally work about three to four minor accidents at this spot annually, but most of them usually involve vehicles dropping off the side of the road and just rolling over down the embankment without major injury.