Bradley County Sheriff's Office / Bradley County Sheriff Steve LawsonBradley County Sheriff Steve Lawson was suspected of having "serious injuries" after his Ford F-150 was rear-ended and pushed into two other vehicles that were slowing or stopped on Interstate 75, according to a crash report released by the Chattanooga Police Department.
According to the report, a Toyota 4Runner driven by Matthew Allen Miller, 45, was traveling south on I-75 just before 1 p.m. March 24 when his vehicle struck Lawson's F-150 in the rear, pushing it forward into a Toyota Highlander, which then struck a Toyota Prius.
Miller sustained a suspected serious injury to his legs and was not wearing a seat belt, the report stated. He was cited for failure to exercise due care, speeding in a construction zone and not wearing a seat belt. Miller was taken to Erlanger hospital for treatment.
The sheriff's wife, Connie Darlene Lawson, 52, was uninjured, but Lawson, 65, was taken to Erlanger hospital for treatment because of a loss of consciousness, according to the report. Both were wearing seat belts, but the truck's airbags did not deploy.
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The driver of the Highlander sustained minor injuries, while his passengers were uninjured, according to the report. The driver was transported to Erlanger hospital for treatment. They were wearing seat belts.
The driver of the Prius was wearing her seat belt and did not sustain any injuries, the report stated.
Besides Miller's airbags, none of the other vehicles' airbags were deployed in the crash, according to the report. The Prius was able to be driven from the scene, while the other three vehicles were towed away due to damage.
The Bradley County Sheriff's Office issued a statement a few hours after the crash.
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"Sheriff Lawson was transported from the scene to a local hospital to be treated," agency spokesperson Sgt. Robert Jones said in the release issued March 24. "He will be staying overnight at the hospital for observation."
Lawson was released from the hospital a few days later and has since been recovering and dividing his work time between home and the office, according to a follow-up statement from Jones.
Contacted Wednesday, Jones said in an email Lawson is not taking questions on the crash.
In a social media post, Connie Lawson wished her recovering husband a happy birthday the day after the crash.
"Happy birthday Steve Lawson, my beloved," she wrote in the post. "This isn't the way we wanted to celebrate you, but I'm so thankful to get to celebrate you today."
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.