Maryville, TN : Maryville woman flown to hospital after Friendsville crash on Wednesday, January, 3rd 2018

A Maryville woman and her two children had to be freed from a crashed vehicle Wednesday night in Friendsville after the woman apparently ran off the road trying to avoid another vehicle.

Rhonda G. Seymour, 41, South Sixth Street, Maryville, was flown by Lifestar helicopter to University of Tennessee Medical Center following the crash. Her condition was not immediately available Thursday.

Seymour was driving a Mazda MPV minivan on Marble Hill Road near Doe Drive at 7:55 p.m. when she went off the right side of the road while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle, according to a Blount County Sheriff’s Office crash report.

Seymour overcorrected, causing the vehicle to travel over and off the left side of the road. The van traveled down a 15-foot embankment, rolled over twice and collided with a tree. The van came to rest on its side, with the roof up against the tree, authorities said.

Seymour and her two children, Brianna R. Lankford, 12, and Andrew J. Lankford, 13, both of South Sixth Street, Maryville, had to be freed from the vehicle, the report said.

Friendsville Volunteer Fire Department public information officer Steve Hargis said the front windshield had to be removed in order to free Seymour and Brianna Lankford, who were in the front of the vehicle.

“The two ladies were in the font and that’s where the tree went across and they had to remove the front windshield to get the two ladies out,” Hargis said.

Andrew Lankford was taken out through the back of the vehicle, Hargis said.

Sheriff’s Office deputies set up a landing zone for Lifestar at Marble Hill Road and West Lamar Alexander Parkway, Hargis said. Seymour was airlifted to the hospital with suspected serious injury, according to the report.

Brianna Lankford, who appeared to sustain minor injury, was taken by ambulance to UT Medical Center.

Police said Andrew Lankford was examined by ambulance personnel at the scene, but not taken to the hospital.

Hargis said this was the latest among several wrecks in that same spot.

“We’ve had three car wrecks in the same hole in probably the last four months,” Hargis said. “It’s a straight stretch and then it starts into the curves. I can’t say why people go in there, but it’s a deep drop off, and that’s not a good place to try to get people out.”

Hargis said it took about 15 minutes to free the three occupants. Greenback Volunteer Fire Department also responded.

Source :
Maryville woman flown to hospital after Friendsville crash