CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) — Newly released court documents provide additional details about the crash that killed two Milligan University cycling team members and injured seven others in Carter County.
According to an affidavit filed in the case, Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers responded to a crash around 9 a.m. Wednesday on State Route 37/U.S. Highway 19-E near Simerly Creek Road in the Hampton area. Investigators determined that a vehicle driven by 69-year-old John Benfield of North Carolina struck a group of nine Milligan University cyclists.
Two students, Haylan Engdahl of Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, and Brayden Rogers of Huntsville, Alabama, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The seven other cyclists were transported to area hospitals. Authorities said four of the injured cyclists suffered critical injuries.
According to the affidavit, investigators determined Benfield was traveling in the right lane closely behind another vehicle before the crash. When the vehicle ahead moved into the left lane, the cyclists became visible in the roadway.
Troopers wrote that Benfield was operating his vehicle “at a distance and/or manner that did not allow him sufficient time or distance to perceive and react to the roadway conditions.”
The affidavit further states investigators found no physical evidence that Benfield applied his brakes or took evasive action before striking the cyclists.
Additionally, law enforcement officers at the scene reportedly detected the smell of marijuana coming from Benfield’s vehicle, according to the court filing.
Benfield has been charged with:
- Two counts of reckless vehicular homicide
- Five counts of reckless aggravated assault
He remains jailed on a $300,000 bond.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for August 31.
The tragedy has deeply affected the Milligan University community. Engdahl and Rogers were both members of the university’s nationally recognized cycling program.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash.
