Four people die in separate crashes this weekend
Multivehicle collisions claimed the lives of four people this weekend, with two dying Friday on Clinton Highway and two Sunday on Alcoa Highway.
At about 6:50 p.m. Friday, Rural Metro Fire responded to a reported multivehicle car crash on Clinton Highway at Rhealand Lane just south of Powell, the department stated in a Facebook post.
When crews arrived, they found four vehicles had crashed with one victim trapped and one driver ejected. Jacqueline Gillespie Birdwell, 52, was driving a Kia Soul southbound on Clinton Highway when she crossed over into northbound traffic and sideswiped one vehicle before losing control and going airborne, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol report. Birdwell died at the scene, the report stated.
Birdwell's Kia landed on a Honda CR-V being driven by Ronald Bryan, 74, killing him.
Ronald Bryan's passenger, a 74-year-old woman, was hurt and taken to a trauma center, the report stated.
Driver and passenger in sedan die in Alcoa Highway collision
On Sunday, the Alcoa Police Department and Alcoa Fire Department responded to a multicar crash with serious injuries at about 12:45 p.m. on Alcoa Highway and Lakemont Road. The Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Critical Incident Response Team responded as well, according to a Facebook post from the Alcoa Police Department.
A sedan was traveling fast northbound on Alcoa Highway when the driver lost control and crossed a grass median, striking an SUV that was traveling southbound.
The driver of the sedan, Frank Winkler, 81, of Knoxville, was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger, Nancy Winkler, 82, of Knoxville, was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in critical condition. Nancy Winkler later died, the release stated
The occupants of the black SUV, a 78-year-old and a 13-year-old, were taken to UT Medical Center. Their status is stable.
Liz Kellar is a public safety reporter for Knox News. She can be reached by email at lkellar@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Four people die in crashes this weekend in Knoxville and Alcoa
