PoliceNews

Drug linked to student's death

The probable cause of the Nov. 4 death of Jordan Castle, a 21-year-old UTC student, was pulmonary edema from a drug similar to morphine, according to a Hamilton County medical examiner's report.

Pulmonary edema is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the lungs that follows congestive heart failure.

The report says the pulmonary edema stemmed from Castle having oxymorphone, in his system.

Also found in Castle's system was alprazolam, which is found in anti-anxiety drugs such as Xanax, and THC, a compound found in marijuana, according to the report. The report does not indicate if these also contributed to Castle's death.

Castle was found unresponsive at his Mountain Creek Road residence on Nov. 3 and was transported to Erlanger hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:07 a.m.

Castle's was the second University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student to die in the first week of November.

Jeffrey Lang, 21, died Nov. 2 from an inflammation of the lungs called acute bronchopneumonia, according to a separate medical examiner's report. Methadone was a probable contributing factor in Lang's death, the report said.

2 freed from truck after I-75 crash

Two people trapped in a truck Monday after colliding with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 75

The two, driver Taylor Davis, of Rock Spring, Ga., and passenger Chattanooga resident Brittney Blake were freed by firefighters using the Jaws of Life, said Erik Hopkins, East Ridge police spokesman. They were taken to Erlanger hospital for serious injuries, he said.

Hopkins said East Ridge police and firefighters responded to the crash about 4:18 p.m.

A preliminary investigation showed the Chevrolet Silverado pickup was entering the northbound lane of I-75 from Ringgold Road when Davis lost control of the vehicle, Hopkins said. The pickup then collided with a Moore Freight tractor-trailer as it was traveling in the middle lane, he said.

According to police, the driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

No charges have been filed, but the investigation is ongoing, Hopkins said.

Moore Freight is based out of Shelbyville, Tenn.

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