On 6/24/2023 at 2246 Hrs. TWRA was notified of two vessel collision in Monroe County on Tellico Lake. The incident occurred close to Sequoya Landing Resort near the 411 bridge. As officers were responding they were notified that there were currently three parties being taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville for treatment to their injures. Once officers arrived on scene it was learned that while vessel 1, a 20-foot Chriscraft, was coming towards the marina and after passing underneath the HWY 411 bridge it collided with vessel 2, a 22 foot Axis, that was leaving the marina. After the collision, vessel 1 overturned leaving all parties on board that vessel having been ejected into the water. A nearby person at the marina heard the collision and using his personal boat drove out to help rescue all the involved parties. Once all parties were taken to shore the injured parties were transported for further evaluation via ems and the remaining parties were treated on scene.   

*** Regarding the initial narrative included in the preliminary report, officers were working with partially uncooperative parties who denied giving statements, as well as parties unfamiliar with the area and some using local terminology in statements that was misinterpreted. 

Officers initially stated in the narrative that Vessel 1 was coming from underneath the Highway 411 bridge returning from Fort Loudon Lake after being advised by an occupant on board that they had traveled into the marina from Fort Loudon. The occupant who stated they were coming from Ft. Loudon, it was later determined, was referring to Ft. Loudon State Park, rather than Ft. Loudon Reservoir. 

The operator of vessel 2 was uncooperative with Officers and would not provide a statement to his recollection of the incident and the two occupants on board his vessel did not see the collision, nor did they have a bearing on exactly where they were on the water. 

However, with a review of statement forms it was brought to officers’ attention that vessel 1 made a trip around the “big island (Sequoyah Museum Island)”. Another revision point is when Fort Loudon is referenced in statement forms, locals refer Fort Loudon State Park as simply “Fort Loudon”. With this knowledge officers were able to adjust the placement of the incident and the direction of travel from Vessel 1.  

With this new information it was determined that Vessel 1 the Chriscraft cabin cruiser, was traveling down stream toward the 411 bridge and made a left turn to enter the harbor of Sequoyah marina.  Upon making the left turn into the harbor the vessel collided with vessel 2 a 24'' Axis wakeboard boat that was exiting the harbor on the right side of the channel and making a right hand turn to head downstream.   

*** On 6/23/2023 at 2229 Hrs. Monroe County 911 was called about a two-vessel collision on Tellico Lake near Sequoya Landing Resort. When the call came in to 911 dispatchers they had been advised of several people in the water with some of those people being hurt. A near by person on the dock at the marina had heard the collision occur and got into his pontoon boat and drove out to retrieve the parties. 

Once on shore and when emergency medical services arrived all three occupants of the Axis wakeboard boat were transported  to the hospital for treatment (V2). He and the other two occupants were taken by ambulance to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. The occupants on the white Chirscraft vessel (Vessel 1) were all ejected as a result of the crash but all persons on board this vessel refused treatment by medical personnel. Once the first Tennessee Wildlife Officer arrived on scene it was determined that the operator of vessel one had been observed on scene by officers to have been walking off balance in what appeared to be  a staggering manner and had an alcoholic beverage in his hands. Once this officer

TELLICO RESERVOIR
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