Whitley football player, two others seriously injured in Monday crash

A Whitley County High School football player and two other people were flown to the University of Tennessee Medical Center Monday evening following a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of US25W and Ky. 204.
Cody Jones, 16, of Williamsburg, who was the driver of one vehicle, was in stable condition Tuesday at U.T. The driver of the other vehicle, Randy Smith of Lily, was in serious condition and his passenger, Mike Greer of Corbin, was in serious condition in the hospital’s surgical care unit, Whitley County Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Lennon said late Tuesday afternoon.
Lennon said Cody Jones had just gotten out of surgery when he spoke with Jones mother Tuesday morning.
Three-Point Volunteer Fire Department extricated all three from their vehicles, and the trio was flown out by helicopter from the Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport.
Cody Jones, a three sport athlete at Whitley County High School, and one of his passengers, Jamie Lebanion, 15, had just finished with football practice about 20 minutes before the accident.
Lennon said the two had gone to pick up Jones sister, Jade Jones, 14, who was at a friends house, and that it was the first time Cody Jones had ever been on Ky. 204. In fact, Jones had to get directions to the house to pick-up his sister, and was on his way back toward US25W when the wreck happened.
Lennon said that according to his preliminary investigation, Jones was driving a Chevy pick-up truck on Ky. 204 when he apparently pulled across the intersection of US25W without stopping, and was hit near the driver’s side door by a red Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Smith of Lily.
Jones apparently didn’t know that the stop sign or intersection was there, Lennon noted.
The accident happened shortly before 8 p.m. No drug or alcohol involvement is suspected.
Lebanion and Jade Jones received minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals where they were treated and released.
Lebanion was named the News Journal Rookie of the Year in basketball this past season. Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Meadors and Williamsburg Police Officer Bobby Freeman assisted at the scene along with members of the Three-Point Volunteer Fire Department and Whitley County EMS.