December 18, 2018
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County has had an increase in traffic fatalities this year compared to 2017.
According to crash data compiled by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, eight people have lost their lives in DeKalb County crashes in 2018 compared to five in 2017.
These fatal crashes occurred in February, March, June, July, and December.
*A Murfreesboro man lost his life in a motorcycle crash Friday, February 9 on Dale Ridge Road (State Route 96) near the Company Store location and not far from Center Hill Dam. Dead is 46 year old Marcus Wade. Trooper Sean Tramel of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said Wade was operating a 1998 BMW motorcycle north on Dale Ridge Road when he failed to negotiate a curve and struck a rock embankment. Wade was transported by DeKalb EMS to St Thomas DeKalb Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Trooper Tramel was assisted by Troopers Jason Cobble and Danielle Neal.
*A 28 year old Lebanon Police Officer who lived in DeKalb County lost his life in a tragic accident March 1. Joseph Bowen was driving home from work in his 2008 Chevy Silverado extended cab pickup when the truck left Highway 70 and went down a rocky embankment before hitting a large tree and plunging into the swift waters of Dry Creek at Dowelltown. The truck was carried a few feet downstream and came to rest partially submerged on its passenger side. When Bowen didn’t arrive back home, family members became concerned and contacted authorities. Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan notified Sheriff Patrick Ray that family members had reported Bowen missing and a search began along the route from Lebanon to Smithville. According to Sheriff Ray, members of the Lebanon Police Department and Wilson County Sheriff’s Department were involved in the search along with the Alexandria Police Department and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. A BOLO (Be on the lookout) was also issued by the sheriff’s department through central dispatch. After the truck was spotted in the creek the BOLO was cancelled but Bowen remained missing. Search teams were organized to comb the creek and an aerial helicopter search was conducted by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. One of the teams later found Bowen’s body in the creek several hundred yards from where his truck was located. Prior to going to work for the Lebanon Police Department, Bowen was employed at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Ray said Bowen was a good officer and will be missed
*A Smithville man was seriously injured on March 27 and died April 2 from injuries in a pickup truck crash on Dale Ridge Road (Highway 96) about a mile from Highway 70. According to Trooper Sean Tramel of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 70 year old Robert Page was driving south in a 1993 Nissan pickup truck when he went off the edge of the roadway while going around a curve. As the truck slid sideways, Page overcorrected and the vehicle clipped the end of a guardrail before going down an embankment. The truck then crashed into a tree. Although there were no eye witnesses to the wreck, Trooper Tramel said Richard Summers, a resident closeby, heard the crash but didn’t see the truck at first when he went outside his home to investigate. A short while later, Summers spotted the truck from the lights of a passing car on the highway and alerted authorities.
*The driver of a pickup truck died in a crash on Medley-Amonette Road (State Highway 96) near the Putnam County line June 7. Dead is 56 year old Morris D. Carr of Baxter. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Carr was traveling north in a red GMC Canyon when the truck exited the roadway to the right and traveled for around 100 yards before it flipped onto its side where the passenger side compartment was pinned against a tree near a rock bluff. The driver was pinned in the passenger compartment in between the truck and tree. Carr was not wearing his seatbelt. He died at the scene.
*Two people lost their lives from a pickup truck crash on the Old Mill Hill Road July 16. Dead is 56 year old Michael A. Murphy and 50 year old Angelia Sue Burke of Liberty. She is formerly of Crossville. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Murphy was driving a 1995 Dodge Dakota eastbound when he went off the right side of the road and over an embankment striking a tree. Burke, the passenger, was ejected out of the passenger window and died at the scene. Her body was found pinned between the passenger door and a tree. After the crash, Murphy apparently tried to go for help but collapsed in the road a tenth of a mile from the scene. Although an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, a preliminary report suggests that Murphy may have died from health conditions not related to the crash. According to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, a motorcycle rider came upon Murphy’s body lying in the road and alerted 911. Murphy was unresponsive at the scene and after efforts by EMS to resuscitate him failed, he was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. As Sheriff Patrick Ray and detectives conducted a search of the area, they found the wrecked Dodge Dakota and Burke’s body. The crash was investigated by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the THP Critical Incident Response Team.
*The body of a 51 year old man was found on Highway 70 in front of DeKalb Middle School early Sunday morning, December 9, the victim of a fatal hit and run. Dead is Gyula Gulyas of Brush Creek and originally from Hungary. According to Trooper Bobby Johnson of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a motorist spotted the body lying in the highway around 2:40 a.m. and reported it to 911. Its not known exactly what time the hit and run occurred. Trooper Johnson said Gulyas had been at Twisted Oaks on Highway 70 earlier and as he started to leave the parking lot his Kia Soul got stuck in a ditch. Gulyas later got a ride into town and was dropped off near the hospital. That was the last reported sighting of Gulyas alive. No arrests had been made at last report.
*A 28 year old Smithville woman lost her life in a two car crash Thursday night, December 13 on Highway 70 at Liberty. Dead is Amanda L. Smith. According to the accident report filed by Trooper Chris Delong of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Smith and 30 year old Raymond H. Rollins of Smithville were in a white 1998 Ford Mustang traveling west in the eastbound lanes and struck a 2014 Honda Accord, driven by 36 year old Charlie R. Holman of Sparta who was eastbound in the right hand lane. As Holman attempted to swerve left to avoid a collision, the right front end of the Mustang struck his car on the passenger side. At last report the THP had not determined whether Smith or Rollins had been driving the Mustang. Both Rollins and Holman sustained non-life threatening injuries in the crash. Smith was not airlifted as previously reported. DeKalb EMS performed CPR on Smith at the scene and transported her to Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital where she was pronounced dead. A helicopter ambulance had been summoned but was later cancelled.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol will be conducting a Sobriety Checkpoint December 31st 2018 on State Route 56 in DeKalb County. Impaired driving is a serious crime that kills more than 16,000 people and injures 305,000 others every year in the United States. Troopers will evaluate drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment. Troopers will target those who operate a vehicle while impaired and take corrective actions for other violations observed while ensuring the protection of all motorists. The Tennessee Highway Patrol recognizes that sobriety checkpoints are highly visible and effective tools in the battle against impaired driving.