Helenwood man fatally injured in crash
HUNTSVILLE — A Helenwood man was fatally injured and his son seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. Hwy. 27 here Tuesday morning.
Gary Phillips, age unknown, of Helenwood, died at the scene of the accident, which occurred at around 8 a.m. in front of Purdue’s Shell.
Reports from the scene indicated that the crash occurred when a northbound F-150 pickup, the driver of which had not been identified as of the Independent Herald’s press deadline late Tuesday morning, apparently turned in front of Phillips’ southbound vehicle. The vehicles collided in the inside southbound lane of the highway.
Phillips’ minor son, a student at Scott High School, was seriously injured in the accident, and was airlifted from the scene to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.
The driver of the pickup truck was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center of Scott County after reportedly suffering minor injuries.
Hwy. 27 was closed in both directions for a period of time to allow for emergency personnel to assist the victims at the scene, as well as to make room for UT Medical Center’s Lifestar helicopter to land at the scene. The closure of all four lanes of travel resulted in lengthy traffic tie-ups in both directions. Traffic was flowing smoothly again by 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Responding to the scene of the accident were several units from the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, several units from Scott County EMS, and several units from the Huntsville Fire Department, along with the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
THP Trooper Brian Boshears was investigating the accident.