On March 19, 2011, at approximately 1915, WLOs received notification of a boat accident that occurred on the Nolichucky River in Greene Co., Tennessee, and that a victim had been transported to Banks Campground on Bewley''s Chapel Rd.  WLO , who was responding to the scene as part of  EMT training, directed WLO and myself to Matthews Lane where the crash scene was located.  We arrived at approximately 2030 to find the crashed vessel lying on the steep embankment of the river, with the motor completely  underwater.  After securing the vessel, I met with WLOs, who had interviewed two subjects who had come upon the crash.  These subjects found an injured person on the vessel, and they transported him to Banks Campground where Greene Co. 911 was called.  The injured person was airlifted to Johnson City Medical Center, and passed away the next day.  They later returned to the crash scene to search for the operator of the crashed vessel.

     On March 24, 2011, at approximately 1330, the body of the owner of the vessel was recovered in the river by Greeneville Emergency and Rescue Squad approximately 300 yards below the crash site.  The crash site was located approximately 1 mile upriver from Banks Campground.  

     In the initial investigation, it appears that the vessel, while traveling downstream, veered to the left and passed under an over-arching tree damaging the windshield and then striking another tree approximately 30 feet away.  The vessel came out of the water at this point and came to rest on the bank.
GREENEVILLE                   