Teen airlifted to UT after single-vehicle accident

By Chloé Morrison
thedailytimes.com
 
Emergency responders flew a 16-year-old Greenback youth to University of Tennessee Medical Center after he lost control of his vehicle on Big Springs Road Saturday evening. “(The car) was completely in two parts,” Public Information Officer with the Friendsville Volunteer Fire Department said. “One part was behind the driver's side door and the back part was up the road 20 or 30 feet.”
 
Joseph R. Polakiewicz, 16, Evergreen Farms Road, Greenback, was driving north on Big Springs and, while negotiating a curve, he lost control of his 2000 Volkswagen Beetle, Public Information Officer with the Blount County Sheriff's Office Marian O'Briant said in an e-mail.
 
Polakiewicz went off the right side of the road and then over-corrected, crossing the center line and then going off the left side of the road, she also said.
He struck a tree and the collision split the vehicle in half, officials said.
 
“Polakiewicz was wearing a seat belt, and the airbag did deploy,” O'Briant said.
 
LifeStar landed on U.S. Highway 321 West at Big Springs Road and authorities stopped traffic in both directions. Authorities also closed Big Springs Road, Hargis said.
The Sheriff's Office and Friendsville Volunteer Fire Department got the call at about 5:18 p.m.
 
Thirteen firefighters responded at 5:21 p.m., and were on the scene 5:23 p.m., Hargis said. Authorities cleared the scene by 6:10 p.m.

The first person on the scene was Friendsville firefighter, 9-1-1 operator and emergency medical technician David Burton, Hargis said. “He immediately said we were going to have to use the jaws,” Hargis said. “They brought the jaws in, got in the door, got the seat out and started trying to stabilize him.”

Big Springs Road has about a mile of straight-away and then a curve, where there have been other accidents, Hargis said. “There have been quite a few accidents right there — at least one fatality in that same location,” he said.

The teen's condition wasn't available late Saturday, but Hargis said it didn't look good, although “youth is in his favor.”

UPDATE

Teen listed in critical condition after Big Springs Road accident

Daily Times Staff Reports
 
A 16-year-old Greenback teen was listed in critical condition at University of Tennessee Medical Center Sunday after a Saturday accident on Big Springs Road that left his 2000 Volkswagon Beetle in two pieces.

Joseph R. Polakiewicz, 16, Evergreen Farms Road, Greenback, was reportedly driving north on Big Springs Road and, while negotiating a curve, lost control of his vehicle, Blount County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Marian O'Briant said in a release.

Polakiewicz went off the right side of the road and then over-corrected, crossing the center line and then going off the left side of the road, the release said. He struck a tree and the collision reportedly split the vehicle in half.  “Polakiewicz was wearing a seat belt, and the airbag did deploy,” O'Briant said.

LifeStar landed on U.S. Highway 321 West at Big Springs Road and authorities stopped traffic in both directions. Authorities also closed Big Springs Road.The Sheriff's Office and Friendsville Volunteer Fire Department got the call at about 5:18 p.m. and 13 firefighters responded at 5:21 p.m., and were on the scene 5:23 p.m.

Authorities cleared the scene by 6:10 p.m. The first person on the scene was Friendsville firefighter, 9-1-1 operator and emergency medical technician David Burton, said Steve Hargis, public information officer with the Friendsville Volunteer Fire Department.
“(Burton) immediately said we were going to have to use the jaws,” Hargis said. “They brought the jaws in, got in the door, got the seat out and started trying to stabilize (Polakiewicz).”

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10/19/10