OOLTEWAH, Tennessee — UPDATE:
Hamilton County Schools has confirmed that an Ooltewah High School student was killed in a traffic accident that kept Snow Hill Road closed Thursday afternoon.
We have a team on site working to find out more details.
According to HCSO, initial investigations revealed that the driver of a white Ford F-150 left the roadway and overcorrected by turning left.
According to HCSO, the driver then lost control of his vehicle and left the roadway completely. The vehicle overturned and the driver was partially ejected.
The teenage driver died at the scene of the accident. According to HCSO, there were no other passengers in the vehicle.
Authorities have said the road will remain closed until the investigation is complete and motorists should avoid the area.
Neighbors in the area tell us they are constantly afraid to drive on Snow Hill Road because of a history of accidents there.
“My daughter drives my boys to school every morning. I cringe every time she has to drive them to school because of this road,” says Keenan Daniels. “It’s winding, it’s dangerous, it’s a fast road.”
Snow Hill Road has long been a source of frustration for local residents.
Data from the Department of Safety and Homeland Security shows that there were at least 23 traffic accidents between the beginning of 2023 and March of this year.
“There is a fence in this area. It has been knocked down about three times,” says McCrae Sims.
Several accidents, many of them fatal, prompted the county earlier this year to add Snow Hill Road to the list of projects for its County Road Improvement Fund.
“I almost had accidents myself because people crossed the double yellow line and almost collided with me head-on.”
McCrae Sims says he has lived at Snow Hill for about a decade and would like to see speeding cracked down on.
“I can imagine that other children my age have the same problems, especially children like her who have just started driving.”
We reached out to Mayor Wamp’s office for an update on the County Road Improvement Fund. Nathan Janeway, Hamilton County Director of Development Services, tells us…
“Hamilton County has planned and requested TDOT funding to improve safety at an intersection between Snow Hill Road and Short Tail Springs. We also continue to advocate for conditions on zoning applications for road improvements.”
Rest assured that we will keep you updated as soon as we learn more.
EARLIER:
We are working to learn more details about a serious crash that caused traffic delays near Ooltewah High School Thursday morning.
The accident occurred around 10:30 a.m. in the 6300 block of Snow Hill Road.
We have a team on site working to find out more details.
A post on the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page said motorists should avoid the area until emergency crews clear the road.
A post on the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department’s Facebook page said it was a “single-vehicle accident involving a vehicle leaving the roadway,” but no information on injuries was provided.
This article also states:Snow Hill Road will remain closed for an extended period” while officials investigate the accident.
Snow Hill Road has long been a source of frustration for local residents. Several accidents, many of them fatal, prompted Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp’s office to announce earlier this year that Snow Hill Road is now on the list of projects for the Road Improvement Fund.
Read more:The turnaround is complete: Plans to rehabilitate two long-problematic streets in Ooltewah presented
Count on us to keep you updated on this story as it happens.
