Local man dies after Cherokee County crash

Murphy – A Robbinsville man has died from injuries sustained in a four-vehicle collision on Old Ranger Road in Murphy. 

The death of 56-year-old Robbinsville resident Kenneth Blevins was confirmed by the N.C. Highway Patrol. Blevins succumbed to injuries sustained in the Dec. 17 crash at 7:33 a.m. on Dec. 23, at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga. 

The crash occurred when a 2005 Hyundai that Blevins was riding in as a passenger  failed to yield the right-of-way when entering U.S. 19 from Old Ranger Road. The vehicle was struck by a 1999 Ford pickup truck, being knocked into a parked and unoccupied 2013 GMC SUV. 

Both Blevins and Jeffery Scott Willard – who was driving the Hyundai – were flown to Erlanger. 

Charges are expected, according to Trooper H.S. Roberts’ report.