Antioch Man Flees the Scene of Collision and Causes Another Fatal Collision on Bell Road
A man was charged in a ‘horrific’ 6-car fatal crash at a busy Antioch intersection after previously fleeing scene of another accident.
A horrific crash yesterday evening in Antioch, Tennessee claimed the life of 66 year-old John Kurtz of Antioch and injured 6 others. Police said, 30 year-old John Hullett the driver of a 2001 Ford Windstar, had an adult woman passenger and four children in the back while speeding westbound on Bell Road. Hullett ran the red light on Blue Hole Road striking Kurtz in his 2004 Chevrolet Suburban and a Ford Escape. Kurtz, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from his SUV where he died at the scene.
Hullett’s vehicle and the Ford Escape then hit three other vehicles in the eastbound lanes of Bell Road.
In total, there were six cars involved in the crash at Blue Hole and Bell roads.
“The van that was right next to me exploded into flames and there were several children inside and there was a gentleman yelling for his babies,” said witness Patricia Tarquino-Moorehead, who was parked at a red light with her 3-year-old son when the crash happened as reported by News Channel 2 WKRN.
Authorities discovered that just prior to Hullett causing this fatal collision that he had allegedly struck another vehicle at the intersection of Bell Road and Cane Ridge Road. He was in the process of fleeing the scene, family in tow, when he made the choice to speed and run the red light. Most always, when someone is fleeing the scene of a crash it is an attempt to try to save oneself from being ticketed or arrested either due to other offenses or causing the wreck itself. But in this case, Hullet’s dangerous and unlawful driving to escape accountability led to tragedy.
Police investigating the scene also found that Hullett’s passengers were not properly restrained at the time of the crash. Miraculously, the adult female passenger and four children, ages 2 to 6, were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Ford Escape was treated and released.
Hullett is charged with two counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and driving on a revoked license. He is being held in lieu of $111,000 bond.
We can’t even begin to express our sadness and disgust with what has happened here. Any driver who leaves the scene of an accident, especially one they’ve caused, is obscenely irresponsible and shows a complete disregard for the law and safety of others on the road. Often times, fleeing the scene of a wreck ends in tragedy, sometimes for the party at fault but many times for other innocent drivers on the road, like it did last night.
As personal injury lawyers, we see some terrible things that are very hard to swallow on a daily basis like fatal car accidents and serious injuries that didn’t have to happen. An at-fault party’s decision to leave the scene of a crash for fear of being ticketed for not having insurance, being arrested for a suspended license, fear of deportation or any other reason is simply inexcusable. There is no worthy reason for breaking the law and hurting others in the process.
We’ve helped folks with life-threatening injuries who have been victims of law-breaking, irresponsible drivers, and uninsured drivers’ negligence. We’ve helped families whose loved ones have been killed by those drivers, get the justice they need to move forward and pick up the pieces. We fight for our clients’ mental, physical and financial well-being, their current and future medical treatment, and their pain and suffering in the aftermath of a wreck. We fight to hold responsible parties accountable and get our clients the fair treatment and compensation they deserve to make everything okay again.
If you or a loved one has been in wreck caused by someone else’s negligence, call the experienced wrongful death and personal injury attorneys at the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm today. We fight for you (615)425-2500