A man who triggered a wreck when he ran a red light will serve seven months behind bars and have his car hooked up to an interlock device.
The driver, Thomas L. Cope, 54, entered guilty pleas before Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley to charges of reckless aggravated assault, violation of the open container law, reckless endangerment with a motor vehicle and failure to yield. He was ordered to serve seven months of a three-year sentence for the crimes and will report to serve his time on March 21. As part of his plea bargain he will also be required to place a interlock device on his vehicle to ensure he will not be able to start the vehicle without first passing a breath test.
His charges comes after his Chevy collided with a Nissan pickup driven by Mike Fann, 57, at the intersection of Manchester Highway and Old Well Road. Witnesses told lawmen Cope ran the red light and slammed into the pickup.
According to Highway Patrolman Gary Myers, Fann had stopped on Old Well Road and waited for the light to turn green. When the light changed green for him, he pulled onto Manchester Highway and was trying to make a turn to go westbound when he was hit in the side by the Cope vehicle.
Both men were airlifted from the scene for treatment at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. Fann suffered injuries to his chest and ribs while Cope suffered a fractured leg and arm.
Cope was charged after officers found alcohol inside the wreckage of his vehicle.