Monday, August 10, 2009

Owners Say Vehicles Were Damaged While Patient Was Being Airlifted

   Two vehicle owners reported to authorities last week that their automobiles were apparently damaged in the parking lot of Summertown High School at the time that a medical patient was being airlifted.

   Deputies with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department were notified of the situation on Tuesday of last week by a secretary at the school. She requested that a deputy speak with both the vehicle owners and a witness.

   After discovering the damage to both vehicles, the owners reported that a witness had remembered seeing a suspicious man and vehicle in the parking lot during the airlift incident. The witness reported that the man, described as a white male, approximately 6’2” and 275 pounds, was next to the two damaged vehicles, and had exited his own vehicle. He reported that the man was driving a white, extended cab, Chevrolet truck with rear doors that open only after the front doors are opened. He indicated that the truck was elevated and had wide wheels and tires.

   He told deputies that he had exited the school building to watch the helicopter take off and had seen the man stopped next to the two vehicles. He reported that the man approached the vehicles, then turned and walked toward the front of the school. He then returned to his truck and left the parking lot. He stated that he did not see the man strike the vehicles, but he had thought the man’s actions strange.

   Reports indicate that both vehicles were struck in the driver side rear quarter panels. One was a 2005 Nissan, while the second was a brand new 2009 GMC truck. Damages were estimated to total $5,500.

   In his report, the deputy determined that “both vehicles had been hit in the lot between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. on August 2, 2009.” He reported that it looked, “as if the vehicle had struck the Nissan first, then backed up and struck the GMC truck.”

   The matter remains under investigation at the current time. Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact the sheriff’s department at 762-3626.

 

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