Submitted by Nancy Gray, GSMNP
GSMNP, Tenn. – At 9:36 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 7, Park Rangers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park responded to a single vehicle accident involving a fatality on the Foothills Parkway in Blount County, Tenn.
Tommy Rogers, 50, of Maryville, Tenn., was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The victim was driving a 2000 Chevrolet and traveling with his wife, Mary Rogers. They were traveling east on the Foothills Parkway when he failed to negotiate a curve about 1 mile from the roadway’s intersection with U.S. 321. The vehicle left the roadway, rolled down an embankment, and landed on the vehicle’s top. The crash caused the collapse of the vehicle’s roof on the driver’s side.
Mary Rogers called 911 from the scene to report the accident and Blount County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Park’s Dispatch Center. Assisting Park Rangers at the scene were Blount County Fire Department, Blount County Sheriff’s Department, and Blount County Rural Metro. Emergency personnel with the fire department extricated the two individuals from the vehicle. The victim was transported from the scene by Rural Metro and his wife was airlifted by Lifestar to The University of Tennessee Medical Center. She appeared to have no life threatening injuries.
Park Rangers are conducting an investigation of the accident and preliminary information revealed that alcohol may have been a factor in the incident.
