Wednesday morning was dangerous for motorists in Warren County as three wrecks with injuries left lawmen scrambling to various corners of the county.
The barrage of wrecks began on Old Rock Island Road when an elderly woman collided with a county mower. Troopers say Julia Smith, 80, was westbound on Old Rock Island Road near Eastside in her 2002 Nissan and was trying to pass a tractor driven by Jack Haston, 58, when she ended up striking the mower. The crash caused significant damage to both vehicles. Smith was taken to the hospital by ambulance where she was treated and released.
The next crash happened when a Cookeville woman slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer on Manchester Highway near Morrison. Troopers say Heather Renner, 27, was heading east on Highway 55 in her 2012 Nissan Altima when she was distracted. She lost sight of the road in front of her and ran into the back of a flat-bed trailer driven by Mark Hale, 36, of McMinnville. Renner was treated and released from Manchester Medical Center.
A third crash happened near Dibrell and was the most critical of the morning. Sheriff’s reports reveal Velma B. Hutchings, 81, was heading northbound on Smithville Highway just past Dibrell School when her 2005 Buick veered off the right side of the road. The car traveled over the steep shoulder and went airborne, jumped a culvert and slammed into the bank on the opposite side just short of the bridge.
An airlift was attempted but helicopters could not fly in due to an approaching storm. Hutchings was rushed to Smithville for treatment at DeKalb Community Hospital.