A look at UTMC’s upcoming revamped emergency center (Courtesy: UT Medical Center)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The University of Tennessee Medical Center announced an expansion project for its emergency room Friday.
American Medical Response (AMR), Knox County’s ambulance provider, says the expansion will help with response times which have been a problem in the past.
The expansion promises to double the emergency department’s footprint and establish a dedicated area just for processing patients who take ambulances to the hospital. It’ll be the largest expansion for UT Medical Center since 2001.
The new emergency center will be called the Haslam Family Center for Emergency and Trauma Services in line with what UT officials say is the largest private gift they’ve ever received; that gift came from the Haslam family, earning their name on the building. The project is also funded in part by a state grant.
Remains of fiery plane crash on I-26 in Asheville after engine failure during a flight. (Courtesy: Skyland Fire Dept.)
Asheville, NC (WOKI) Part of I-26 West in North Carolina remains closed following a plane crash Thursday night.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that a Diamond DA-40 crashed along I-26 around 8:15 p.m. after declaring mayday due to engine failure.
“Mayday, mayday, we’ve got oil pressure failure, it looks like, and two ECU failures,” the pilot can be heard saying in a recording of the communication with air traffic control. “We’re coming in.”
In the recording, the pilot then says the engine lost all power but they were able to get it restarted to half power a couple of minutes later.
“Just to let you know guys know, we’ve got our engine restarted,” the pilot said. “We just heard a big bang, though, so we may lose it again here.”
The pilot then reported smoke coming into the cockpit. Unable to make it to the airport, the plane was forced to land on I-26 leading to the fiery crash.
A plane declared mayday before crashing on I-26 near Asheville, NC (Courtesy: Bryce Williams)
Two people were on board the plane; they were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the FAA report, the plane was operated by Lift Training Academy and was being used for instruction. FlightAware’s tracker shows the plane traveled from Myrtle Beach to Knoxville, TN on Thursday before the crash in Asheville, North Carolina.
LIFT Academy released the following statement after the crash:
“On Thursday evening, one of our LIFT training flights made an emergency landing on a highway near Asheville, North Carolina. Our certificated flight instructor used their training and experience to land the aircraft without serious injury to themselves or any injury to persons on the ground. We are proud of the skill and composure our pilot and flight student demonstrated throughout the event and grateful to the first responders who attended to the scene to aid our pilots and secure the site. We have a team onsite assisting our pilots and the NTSB in its investigation. Per our standard procedures, we have instituted a 24-hour safety stand down for all LIFT operations.”
On December 13, 2023, at 1:30 pm a Morristown Police Department (MPD) officer who was in his vehicle positioned northbound in the roadway on 25E with all emergency lighting activated to shield citizens and other officers at a traffic crash site, was struck by a truck that failed to move over and hit the rear end of the patrol vehicle.
Fortunately, the officer suffered only minor injuries; however, there could have been a very tragic outcome. Tennessee Code Annotated 55-8-132 has been nicknamed the “Move Over Law.” This law was enacted to keep emergency personnel safe when performing their duties on roadways. The law has been updated to not only include emergency services, but also recovery, highway maintenance, solid waste and utility service vehicles.
Police Chief Roger Overholt stated, “distracted driving is a danger to everyone on our roadways. It is reasonable to believe that had this officer not been protecting the scene with his vehicle, the citizens and officers at the crash site could have been seriously injured or killed.”
Chief Overholt continued, “It’s not just cell phones that can take someone’s attention away from safe driving. Things such as eating, adjusting the radio or climate controls, and animals in the vehicle can cause the driver to take their attention away from the road. We are asking everyone to be aware of their driving behaviors to increase safety in our community.”
The crash investigation is being conducted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Gatlinburg Space Needle (Courtesy: Web / gatlinburg.com)
Gatlinburg, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway in Gatlinburg after a man jumps to his death from the Space Needle.
Gatlinburg fire and police departments responded around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday to a report that a person jumped from the iconic tourist destination.
Gatlinburg Police Department officials say its Investigations Division was dispatched after a man’s body was discovered on the sidewalk below the Space Needle. Investigators say witness statements and video evidence confirmed the man did jump from the observation deck of the structure, resulting in an apparent suicide.
The incident remains under investigation by the Gatlinburg Police Department.
The Gatlinburg Police Department encourages that if you or someone you know is struggling or in a crisis, help is available. Individuals seeking help can dial or text 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org. The Gatlinburg Police Department and its staff are also available for those struggling or in a crisis and may be reached at 865-436-5181.
KPD identifies victim in deadly shooting outside of Knox Rail Salvage on Depot Street (Courtesy: WVLT)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Police have now identified the victim in a deadly shooting that happened near the Old City while the search for the suspect continues.
That shooting happened Wednesday afternoon outside of the Knox Rail Salvage on Depot Street.
KPD found 51 year-old Christopher Hill of Knoxville, who’d been shot at least once, lying next to a box truck. Hill was pronounced dead at the scene.
Efforts remain ongoing to identify the suspect who police say drove off before officers arrived. Officials say Homicide Unit detectives are working active leads.
Police are urging anyone who potentially witnessed the shooting or with information that could assist detectives to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers at 865-215-7165. Tipsters can remain anonymous and be eligible to receive a cash reward.
Jefferson County man, Bart Gore, 51, arrested on felony charges for Jan. 6 Capitol breach (Courtesy: Department of Justice)
Dandridge, TN (WOKI) A Jefferson County man is arrested Tuesday on felony and misdemeanor charges related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice say 51 year-old Bart Gore of Dandridge entered the Capitol Building on January 6 along with other people rioting over the result of the 2020 presidential election that Donald Trump lost. He was caught on several videos entering the building; investigators also said they had obtained messages Gore sent about attending the riots, some of which spoke of harming former president Barack Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Gore also stated on social media and in messages that he had bought a mouth guard and wasp spray for the event. According to the DOJ, he also stated he was bringing a rifle. Other messages showed Gore mentioning how he went inside the building and got tear gassed.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Knoxville and Washington offices.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Thursday the Tennessee Disability Coalition revealed it downgraded the state’s score from a D+ to a D in year two of its disability scorecard.
The Tennessee Disability Coalition is a culmination of other organizations that promote “full and equal participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of life.” It offers programs that help people with disabilities find jobs, training for families of people with disabilities and more.
The organization says the state failed to improve in multiple categories, leading it to downgrade the state’s score. According to the coalition, the state received a failing score for a lack of policies, practices, opportunities and outcomes for residents with disabilities.
Additionally, the state scored a C or worse in employment, aging, family caregiving support, affordability of care, transportation, mental health access, housing and employment.
The state scored an incomplete in education but scored an A- in early intervention.
WVLT News reached out to Gov. Bill Lee’s office for a statement on the scorecard but did not hear back. Story courtesy of WVLT
A Mom and Dad are in custody after the Department of Children’s Services and police found their home was unsuitable for children after numerous rats were found running around the home, trash piled up to waist high in some areas and feces covering the toilet.
33 year-old Johnathan Lethco and 29 year-old Amanda White are charged with child abuse and their children, aged ten, six, four and two were removed from the home along with the family dog, who was malnourished.
Police say in addition to the unsanitary conditions, they found drug paraphernalia and the home itself has structural issues.
Knoxville Police are searching for a suspect in a deadly shooting that happened near the Old City.
It happened yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon outside of the Knox Rail Salvage on Depot Street.
KPD found a man who’d been shot at least once next to a box truck. He died at the scene. Police say the suspect drove off before officers got there and investigators say the shooting was targeted and not random.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact KPD.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office says 34 year-old Kyle Dixon was last seen on Saturday afternoon. He was wearing a black jacket and jeans and left Brantley Drive in West Knoxville on a motorcycle. His friends filed a missing persons report because they fear for his safety.
If you have any information you are asked to contact KCSO.
