This past weekend, police responded to a tragic single-car accident in Mountain City. It was about 8:49 pm when the police got the call that there had been a crash on Cox Lake Road. The report indicated that only 1 vehicle was involved in the crash.
A 20-year old man named Zackery Lee Garner was driving his 2006 Volvo-XC90 in the Southbound lanes of Cox Lake Road. For some reason, he lost control of his vehicle and crossed the center lane. When he did this, his car traveled all the way to the shoulder on the Northbound side of the road.
After landing in the shoulder, Garner tried to recover his vehicle and ended up overcorrecting. This often happens after someone loses control of their vehicle. His car ended up flipping over several times and hitting a tree. After sustaining a lot of front-end damage, the car came to rest in the Western shoulder of Cox Lake Road.
The man driving didn’t sustain any injuries in the crash. Sadly, the same cannot be said for his 14-year old passenger – Noah Owens. Owens, who had been sitting in the front passenger seat was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. Neither was Garner.
Owens was not as lucky as the driver. His injuries were so severe that he ended up dying and was pronounced dead at the scene. His family will likely have a potential legal claim against the driver.
Garner was charged with a slew of offenses including: homicide by vehicle in the 2nd degree; reckless driving; speeding; driving without a license; failure to maintain lane and failure to wear his seatbelt.
If your loved one is hurt or killed in any sort of car accident, call and talk to our office right away.
Source: https://www.theclaytontribune.com/local-news/14-year-old-dies-one-vehicle-accident-mountain-city-saturday
