One dead, one critical following ‘Dragon’ crash

A crash on the portion of Calderwood Highway (U.S. 129) known as “The Dragon” late Thursday morning left one dead and one in critical condition.Harold Roy Sheely, 69, of Knoxville, and Tiffany Bell, 21, of Oak Ridge, were both flown to University of Tennessee Medical Center by Lifestar helicopter following an accident near Mile Marker 2.Sheely was pronounced dead at the hospital Thursday afternoon, while Bell was listed in critical, but stable, condition, authorities said.
Blount County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to Mile Marker 2 on the Dragon at around 11:36 a.m. to a report of a car crash.Bell was driving a 1994 Mazda Miata convertible south on the Dragon when she approached a sharp left curve, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The vehicle traveled off an embankment and went airborne before striking a tree on the passenger-side door while the vehicle was still about eight to 10 feet in the air. The car then came to rest at the base of the tree.
The convertible top was open, authorities said. Both Bell and Sheely, who was the passenger, were wearing seat belts. The air bags did deploy.The Blount County Fire Department sent 10 firefighters and six trucks to the scene. Firefighters had to extricate both occupants and help get them back up to the roadway.