East Ridge police are investigating the cause of a traffic accident that left a 10-year-old dead and four of his family members injured late Thursday night.
The Augusta, Ga., family members were traveling north on Interstate 75 around 10:15 p.m. Thursday between Ringgold Road and the welcome center when their Mercury Mountaineer hit the center retaining wall and flipped at least once, East Ridge Director of Public Safety Eddie Phillips said.
The father, who was driving, told traffic investigators that he swerved to avoid a vehicle in front of him with no lights on, Chief Phillips said. The over-steering caused the Mountaineer to hit the wall, go into a barrel roll and flip over, the chief said.
The 10-year-old boy was ejected from the vehicle, and firefighters performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him before he was taken to T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga, where he died, Chief Phillips said.
The rest of the family, including the mother and father, a teen-age daughter and a son in his early 20s were taken to Erlanger hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said.
Any witness to the accident is urged to call East Ridge police at (423) 622-1725 or on the confidential tip line at (423) 867-0019.
See tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press for more details.
The Augusta, Ga., family members were traveling north on Interstate 75 around 10:15 p.m. Thursday between Ringgold Road and the welcome center when their Mercury Mountaineer hit the center retaining wall and flipped at least once, East Ridge Director of Public Safety Eddie Phillips said.
The father, who was driving, told traffic investigators that he swerved to avoid a vehicle in front of him with no lights on, Chief Phillips said. The over-steering caused the Mountaineer to hit the wall, go into a barrel roll and flip over, the chief said.
The 10-year-old boy was ejected from the vehicle, and firefighters performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him before he was taken to T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga, where he died, Chief Phillips said.
The rest of the family, including the mother and father, a teen-age daughter and a son in his early 20s were taken to Erlanger hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said.
Any witness to the accident is urged to call East Ridge police at (423) 622-1725 or on the confidential tip line at (423) 867-0019.
See tomorrow's Chattanooga Times Free Press for more details.
