 |
| The driver, Kimberly Wallace Shields, 47, died in the crash along with her mother and sister |
Officials identify three Georgia women killed in fiery car crash in Smokies
By: WATE 6 On Your Side staff
September 17, 2018
WALLAND, Tenn. (WATE) -
Officials identified three people killed after a fiery car crash in the Smoky Mountains on Monday.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials say the single-car motor vehicle accident was reported around 4:22 p.m. on Foothills Parkway West, around one mile west from the Highway 321 interchange.
The driver, Kimberly Wallace Shields, 47, and two passengers, mother Linda Gayle Janes, 70 and sister, Shannon Rae Wallace, 45, were killed in the crash.
The preliminary investigation indicates a sedan, traveling east, drove off of the roadway, struck a tree and caught fire.
Park rangers, along with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office and the Blount County Fire Department, responded to the scene.
The parkway was closed until just after 10 p.m. Monday.
The crash remains under investigation. This is a developing story and we'll continue to update the details as they become available. It appears that the driver was speeding for the slippery road conditions and failed to negotiate the slight curve resulting in her death, along with her mother and sister.
===============================
3 Georgia women killed in Foothills Parkway crash Monday
From staff reports
Three women from Jackson, Ga., were killed Monday in a single-vehicle crash about a mile west of the U.S. Highway 321 interchange along Foothills Parkway.
Driver Kimberly W. Shields, 47, and passengers Shannon R. Wallace, 45, and Linda G. Janes, 70, were killed in the accident about 4:17 p.m., according to a report from the Blount County Sheriff's Office.
Shields was driving a white Mazda M6 east when she veered off the right side of the road after negotiating a slight right curve in the rain. The car continued to travel off the right side of the road for about 500 feet before striking a tree head-on, which caused a fire in the passenger and engine compartments, according to the report.
Responding personnel arrived to find three individuals deceased inside, Great Smoky Mountains National Park said in a news release.
The women all were wearing shoulder and lap belts and airbags deployed, according to the BCSO report.
Park rangers, along with the BCSO and the Blount County Fire Department, responded to the scene.