Victim ID’d after car plunges into Tennessee River
Hamilton County Sheriff's Office / Multiple agencies responded Friday after a car swerved off Highway 58 into the Tennessee River. One person died in the incident.
One person is dead after a car veered off Highway 58 into the Tennessee River by Harrison Bay shortly after noon Friday, prompting a rescue effort by Hamilton County deputies and emergency crews, Sheriff Austin Garrett said in a phone interview.
A witness called 911 after seeing the northbound compact sedan abruptly swerve left off the road near the stretch between Hunter Road and the Wolftever Creek boat ramp, the sheriff said. The car then plunged into the riverfront portion of Highway 58, not in the boat ramp area, he said. Within minutes, four deputies, including one detective, arrived at the scene.
“They immediately got into the river and did their best to try to conduct a rescue,” Garrett said. “They made it as far as breaching a window in the car, and they did it without any dive equipment.”
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Multiple agencies responded Friday after a car swerved off Highway 58 into the Tennessee River. One person died in the incident.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Multiple agencies responded Friday after a car swerved off Highway 58 into the Tennessee River. One person died in the incident.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Multiple agencies responded Friday after a car swerved off Highway 58 into the Tennessee River. One person died in the incident.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Multiple agencies responded Friday after a car swerved off Highway 58 into the Tennessee River. One person died in the incident.Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office / Multiple agencies responded Friday after a car swerved off Highway 58 into the Tennessee River. One person died in the incident.Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / A fisherman and his companion leave Harrison Bay in 2022 as they prepare to duck under the Highway 58 Bridge to Wolftever Creek. The two are pictured near where a vehicle plunged into the river July 18, 2025.
Despite their efforts, time worked against them, Garrett said. Multiple emergency medical services agencies responded, but the operation shifted from rescue to recovery.
