Progress is slow for Preston Huckeby as he remains in intensive care one week after he was hit on his ATV as he crossed the highway after getting his newspaper.
“He’s holding his own, but his injuries are bad,” said close friend and neighbor Kenneth Rogers, who has been making numerous visits to Huckeby in the trauma intensive care unit of Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. Rogers says Huckeby, 77, is responding to some commands, but is still not fully conscious.
Huckeby was struck by a car as he crossed Old Rock Island Highway on his Gator last Friday morning. The impact threw Huckeby to the pavement. The driver of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Carolyn Tittsworth, 43, left the scene of the accident. She was found by officers at her nearby trailer minutes later. Charges are pending against her.
Huckeby was found in the middle of the roadway next to his virtually unscathed four-wheeler. Lawmen suspect he had crossed the road to get his newspaper and was returning across the highway when he collided with the oncoming car.
Huckeby fractured all the ribs on his left side, the side that was hit by the oncoming vehicle. He also suffered facial injuries and possibly other internal injuries. However, the main concern is his head injury. As of Thursday, doctors believed they had subdued the swelling on his brain and Huckeby began breathing on his own.
“He has a long, long ways to go for recovery,” Rogers noted.
As for the charges against the hit-and-run driver, the investigation continues and lawmen say she will face the charge of leaving the scene of an accident at minimum.
Huckeby is well-known in the community and was a former TBI agent who was wounded in the line of duty. He is a member of the Warren County Election Commission.