Blountville, TN : Three injured in SUV crashes into building on state Route 394 at Island Road on Thursday afternoon, August 14, 2014

Fire and rescue personnel said two people working in a building into which a sports utility vehicle crashed Thursday afternoon are lucky to be alive. Jarrett Richardson said he and his business partner, Steve Leheny, were working at The Hope Chest decor shop on state Route 394 at Island Road. “I was sitting in a chair next to the wall where it happened,” Richardson said. The vehicle crashed through the wall, located closest to the intersection, where Richardson was sitting at a desk. The vehicle went half-way into the shop, destroying a large portion of the interior, including shelves and products. Richardson said he heard tires squealing and the sound of the initial crash. He said he reached for his phone to call 911 when the vehicle crashed through the wall. “It missed me by a few inches,” he said. Leheny, however, was standing nearby, and was hit and thrown across the room. Richardson said he only received a small cut, but Leheny suffered possible broken bones. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Christy Osborne said the driver, Linda Stoots, was traveling west on Island Road. She was attempting to cross Highway 394 and continue onto Island Road. As the vehicle crossed the two-lane highway, a Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office transport van, driven by Shawn Rouse, was traveling northbound. Osborne said Rouse attempted to swerve out of the way, but the two vehicles collided, sending the GMC into the building. Stoots and her passenger, William Stoots, both of Sugar Grove, Virginia, were taken to Bristol Regional Medical Center for treatment of injuries. Osborne said Linda Stoots will be charged with failure to yield the right of way. The trooper said Rouse, the transport vehicle’s driver, had an inmate in the van. Neither the driver nor the inmate were injured, she said. Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Leslie Earhart said the van was traveling from the jail in Blountville to Kingsport for a court appearance. After the crash, the inmate asked to continue on to the courthouse and was taken in another vehicle. The van sustained minor damage. Elizabeth Spencer and her family were in an apartment above the shop. Although they did not see the crash, they heard it and the resulting commotion. Spencer said no one was injured and nothing in her apartment was damaged, but books were knocked off a shelf. Fire personnel placed support beams inside the shop prior to removing the vehicle, just in case the building collapsed. As a precaution, Spencer and her family are staying with a family member. The building houses three apartments and the shop. Residents and the shop owner say there have been several crashes over the years at the intersection, although no vehicle has ever slammed into the building. Richardson said he has been concerned about the 55 mile per hour speed limit. He said he would like the speed limit reduced or a flashing caution light installed at the intersection. Source : SUV crashes into building, sending three to hospital