Teen killed in single-car crash on Tazewell Pike

A teenager died Saturday morning when her car hit a utility pole, authorities said.

Salena R. Martin, 17, of Lenoir City, was driving north on Tazewell Pike about a quarter-mile north of Gibbs Road around 6:50 a.m. when her 1997 Volkswagen Jetta ran off the right side of the road, according to Trooper John Carr, of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The car hit a utility pole, then spun and landed on its passenger side, according to the THP.

Martin wasn’t wearing a seat belt, which might have saved her, according to the THP.