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Two seriously injured following pair of crashes in Williamsburg Wednesday
Posted On 15 Sep 2011
Two people had to be flown via emergency medical helicopter following separate crashes in or near Williamsburg Wednesday.
The first crash happened about 8:30 a.m. on Ky. 92W about 1.5 miles past the jail entrance, and had a section of the road closed for over four hours, according to Kentucky State Police Vehicle Enforcement Public Information Officer Steven Douglas, who investigated the accident.
Shawna Barnet, 18, of Sterns, a University of the Cumberlands student, was east bound on Ky. 92 in a 2006 Ford Focus when she crossed the center line and struck a 2005 Freightliner commercial truck head-on, Douglas said.
Williamsburg Fire Chief James Privett said that it took firefighters over 15 minutes to extricate Barnett from the vehicle. Air Evac Lifeteam airlifted her from the scene.
"It took a little while to get her out. She was entrapped pretty badly with very serious injuries," Privett said.
She was transported to Holston Valley Hospital in Kingsport, Tenn., where she was listed in critical condition, Douglas said.
Merle G. Watkins, 35, of London, operated the Freightliner truck, which was owned by Mrs. Grissom Salads of Nashville. Whitley County EMS transported Watkins to Baptist Regional Medical Center in Corbin where he was treated and released.
Neither drug nor alcohol involvement is suspected. Both Barnett and Watkins were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision.
Barnett was reportedly heading to class after working a late night shift when the accident took place.
Williamsburg Police Detective Bobby Freeman, Officer Jim Pool, Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Shelley and Whitley County Emergency Management also assisted at the scene.
About 3 p.m. Wednesday, Williamsburg police and fire responded to the scene of a two-vehicle accident with injuries at the intersection of Third Street and Cumberland Avenue, according to a press release from Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird.
According to witnesses at the scene, Kenneth Branham was traveling south on Third Street, and failed to stop for a traffic light at the intersection of Third Street and Cumberland Avenue, Bird said.
He struck a vehicle driven by Vernon Hinkle, who was traveling east on Cumberland Avenue.
Branham was treated at the scene by Whitley County EMS. The Williamsburg Fire Department set up an emergency landing zone at the waterpark, and he was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Privett said.
Whitley County EMS treated a passenger in the front seat of Hinkle’s vehicle, and transported them to Baptist Regional Medical Center.
Privett said that a total of five people were transported from the scene, and at least one person had to be extricated.
Evidence at the scene indicated drug impairment was possibly a contributing factor on Branham’s part, Bird said.
"The investigation will continue by Officer Brandon White. Charges are pending on the driver of unit one, Kenneth Branham," Bird said.
Freeman and Officer Elijah Hunter also assisted White at the scene.
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This is a newspaper article. If it was on Topix, ok, fine, don’t correct people (I do all the time. There is no need to show your ignorance) but a newspaper should not only have spellcheck on their computers, but also should be proof read by a human.
Oh no it’s the grammer police. Are you a detective also ? We really don’t care about the grammer as long as the story gets out. Find something serious to gripe about.
This article is riddled with gross grammatical errors and inconsistencies, such as the following:
Is the young woman’s name spelled Barnet or Barnett?
Where is Sterns? Is that another town in Kentucky?
“Neither drug nor alcohol involvement is suspected.” This sentence contains a double negative.
This is better: Neither drug or alcohol involvement is suspected.
Quotes should always have quotations around them:
“Evidence at the scene indicated drug impairment was possibly a contributing factor on Branham’s part,” Bird said.
Freeman should always be addressed as “Detective Freeman” as I am sure he has earned his title.
These are common errors that can easily be avoided by a thorough proofread and attention to detail. I am only pointing this out to make you aware of under-sightings you should look out for in the future and so readers will take your publications and writing more seriously moving forward.
A great reference that I like to use is “The Bedford Handbook.”