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Wreck claims life of Oneida girl
By BEN GARRETT
Independent Herald Editor
August 17, 2006
A tragic Grape Rough Road accident claimed the life of an Oneida girl Friday evening and injured four other Oneida teens.
Paxton Carroll, age 12, died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center on Monday evening from injuries sustained in the accident. She was one of five occupants in a 2000 Dodge Stratus that slid off rain-slick Grape Rough Road at around 6:20 p.m. Friday and struck a tree.
According to an accident report filed by Sgt. John Terry of the Oneida Police Department, the accident occurred when the Stratus, driven by Katelyn Hughett, age 16, and traveling south on Grape Rough Road, slid off the right shoulder of the roadway while attempting to negotiate a curve. The vehicle then crossed the roadway before it left the street, traveled down an embankment and struck a tree.
All five of the occupants of the vehicle were injured, with the Scott County Rescue Squad being called to the scene to extricate the driver and one of the passengers of the vehicle, who were pinned in the wreckage.
Scott County EMS attempted to airlift Hughett and Paxton to UT Medical Center; however, because of the poor weather conditions, UT’s Lifestar air-evac helicopter was unable to make the flight from Knoxville to Oneida.
All five of the vehicle’s occupants were transported by EMS to Scott County Hospital Emergency Room. Carroll, Hughett and another passenger, 15-year-old Amanda Ross, were transported by ambulance to UT Medical Center. Hughett was treated for multiple injuries that were reportedly serious in nature, but not life-threatening. Ross was also treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The vehicle’s other two occupants, Thomas West, age 15, and Colby Webb, age 15, were both treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Scott County Hospital.
Following the accident, Grape Rough Road was closed at its intersection with Alberta Street just south of Lumber King to avoid interference with the large number of emergency crews that responded to the scene.
In addition to Sgt. Terry, K-9 Officer Steven Ward and Officers Paul D. Adkins, Shonda Duncan and Floyd Sexton responded to the scene. Units from the Oneida Fire Department, Scott County EMS, Scott County Rescue Squad and Scott County Sheriff’s Department also responded.
Sgt. Terry’s report noted the poor road conditions at the time of the crash. Passing thunderstorms had deposited a large amount of rain on the roadway, apparently causing the accident.
Paxton Carroll was a seventh-grade student at Oneida Middle School. She was a member of the school’s basketball team.
In an outpouring of support from the community, dozens of students from Oneida Middle School and Oneida High School visited UT Medical Center on Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesday, New Haven Baptist Church, where Carroll was a member, opened its fellowship hall to accommodate students and friends of the Carroll family.
Carroll is survived by her parents, Jimmy Carroll and Terry Carroll, and her brother, Samuel Carroll. Funeral arrangements were not complete as the Independent Herald went to press.
news@ihoneida.com
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