Two airlifted after ATV accident early Sunday

Two people were airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center early Sunday morning following an ATV crash, and police say alcohol was likely a contributing factor in the accident.
Authorities were called to the scene of the accident on Hwy. 904, in front of Nevisdale Elementary School, at about 1:44 a.m. According to police, the driver of the ATV, 44-year-old Terry Manes, of Ingram, KY, was semi-conscious with head, neck and back injuries. His passenger, 19-year-old Whitney N. Brandenburg, of Williamsburg, was unconscious and suffered multiple injuries.
“They claimed that they were hit and run off the road by a dark colored Dodge pickup truck,” said Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Alan Onkst, who is investigating the crash. “We got a license number, but it does not match a vehicle of that description. We are still investigating to see who was allegedly driving the vehicle. The four-wheeler definitely hit something, I just don’t know what.”
A witness later called police with more information about the accident. The ATV was severely damaged.
Once struck, the ATV overturned several times in a grassy ravine near the roadway and tossed both riders about 75 feet away from where it came to rest.
Onkst said he believes that alcohol was probably “a factor for everybody involved,” but said wrecks involving ATVs are usually investigated differently since state law does not officially recognize them as motor vehicles. Both Manes and Brandenburg were transported to Jellico Community Hospital via ambulance before any sobriety tests could be performed.
“There’s no license number and there’s no way through a normal accident form to even chart those things unless they involved another car,” Onkst said.
Normally, authorities use internal documents known as “incident reports” to log ATV accidents.
It is illegal to operate an ATV on Kentucky roadways. Onkst said he isn’t sure yet whether Manes will be cited for doing so.