Tennessee State Trooper Rescues Two People from a Crashed Vehicle That Was Flooding with Water
Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant Michael Turley saves the day
NASHVILLE – On the night of December 1st during a heavy rain storm the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) dispatch office in Knoxville received a call of a motor vehicle crash that possibly involved injuries on Andersonville Pike in Knox County.
Immediately as the THP dispatch center received the call state troopers were dispatched to the area of Andersonville Pike. At the time of the crash it was raining extremely heavy, the visibility was very poor. Troopers patrolled the area of Andersonville Pike for several minutes searching for the crashed vehicle before Sergeant Turley located an area where the vehicle had exited the roadway. Sergeant Turley immediately ran to the edge of the roadway where he observed where the 2002 Oldsmobile Alero had crashed down an eight foot embankment, and was now resting in a low lying area that was quickly filling with rain runoff.
Sergeant Turley fought his way down the embankment in the deep mud to the driver’s door of the crashed vehicle. Once he reached the door he observed that water was quickly filling up the floorboard of the vehicle. Sergeant Turley completed a quick medical interview of the driver Mr. Thomas A. Yonker 78, of Knoxville and his wife Mrs. Verlin Yonker 77, of Knoxville and immediately called for the assistance of Rural Knoxville Metro Fire Department.
Sergeant Turley then pulled the door open through the rising water and removed Mr. Yonker from the vehicle and escorted him up the eight foot embankment to safety. At this time Sergeant Turley and Rural Knoxville Metro Fire Department together went back down the steep embankment to remove Mrs. Yonker from the vehicle. As they made their way back to the vehicle it now was filled with water approximately three feet high.
Once atop the embankment the couple received a medical assessment by emergency personnel, and required no medical attention. They were treated and released to go home safely with their family. “This is a wonderful example of how our troopers are placing service before self. I am very proud of the job our troopers perform daily, THP Colonel Tracy Trott said.”
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.
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