Tallulah – A local man is recuperating in Chattanooga, after sustaining serious injuries in a car crash on Tallulah Road on the night of Dec.14.
According to an accident report provided by the N.C. Highway Patrol, a Ford car driven by Justin Kody Guffey, 29 of Robbinsville, was heading southbound on Hwy. 129 at approximately 6:19 p.m., but left the road, crossing the opposite lane and two parking lots before crashing into a Chevrolet pickup truck awaiting repair in front of Smoky Mountain Cycle Center & Auto Repair, tipping the truck over and causing substantial damage to both vehicles.
Guffey was extracted and transported to Western Carolina Regional Airport, where he was then flown to Erlanger Health in Chattanooga for further care. Trooper Chad Case – who investigated the crash – said the victim was going to be moved from the intensive care unit to a regular floor, in anticipation of discharge.
“He was cut up pretty bad,” Case said. “In a wreck of that caliber, you’re going to have serious injuries.”
Case said the driver was cited for property damage, for failing to stay in the correct lane. He said the citations were mainly to make it easier for the truck owner to file an insurance claim.
He said the truck was the sole thing the victim hit after leaving the road. However, a parked car was narrowly missed.
Case also said the victim was likely not conscious when his vehicle left the road, either from falling asleep at the wheel or from an underlying medical condition. He said the victim had no recollection of the events leading up to the crash when interviewed following the accident. He said there were no signs of the victim being impaired at the time of the accident.
“(There were) no alcohol containers or other paraphernalia located,” Case said.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office, EMS, Rescue Squad and Volunteer Fire Department responded to the accident.