Seven injured, three flown out after Sunday crash

A two-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon injured seven people and resulted in three people being flown out by emergency medical helicopter to Knoxville.

The accident happened about 3:30 p.m. on US25 North near the intersection of Highway 204 West.

When Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Jonas Saunders arrived at the scene, he found a wrecked 2005 Honda Civic on US25, and an overturned 2016 Dodge Caravan that had come to rest off the roadway, according to a sheriff’s department release.

The Honda sedan was registered out of East Bernstadt and the van was registered out of Florida.

The driver of the Honda and two passengers had to be extricated by fire and rescue.

All three were transported by ambulance to the Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport where they were airlifted to the University Tennessee Medical Center for additional treatment, according to the sheriff’s department.

The van’s driver and three passengers were transported by Knox and Laurel County ambulances to Baptist Health Corbin for treatment.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the Honda Civic failed to stop before entering US25 and struck the van, the release stated.

Candy Mays, whose three siblings were in the Honda Civic, wrote on the sheriff’s department’s Facebook page Monday that her sister had several surgeries, many broken and shattered bones, lot of lacerations and stitches in addition to much more.

Mays wrote that her youngest brother had a bleed on the brain and her other brother had been given a 0 percent chance of “coming out of this” and was on life support.

“We are not promised tomorrow! Life can change in the blink of an eye and my thoughts and prayers are with each and every one involved,” Mays wrote on Facebook Monday.

Rick Fisher, whose sister was driving the van, also posted on the sheriff’s department’s Facebook page Monday that there were concussions, a dislocated shoulder, a broke arm in two places, stitches, staples and sprains, but that it could have been much worse for his sister and those in her vehicle.

Saunders is investigating the crash and was assisted at the scene by Deputy James Fox, Kentucky State Police Trooper David Lassiter, and members of Goldbug Fire and Rescue, Oak Grove Fire Department, Williamsburg Fire Department, Whitley County EMS, Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County, and Knox County EMS.

Emergency personnel were on the scene for about three hours.