On the morning of March 21, 2016, the Kingsport Police Department was contacted by David Wayne Tyree. Mr. Tyree was the driver in the crash that occurred on March 18, 2016 at Southern Classic Car Wash. At the time of the crash, his driver license was classified by the Tennessee Department of Safety as suspended. He stated that his license had been suspended in the past, but it was his understanding that it had since been reinstated.
Mr. Tyree contacted the Tennessee Department of Safety this morning and learned that there had been a clerical data entry error made by the State. He stated that his license was in fact currently valid and no longer suspended. Crash Investigators with the K.P.D. Traffic Unit were able to quickly confirm the data entry correction made by the State this morning. Again, Mr. Tyree’s license was in fact valid at the time of the crash.
Both crashes remain under investigation by the K.P.D. Traffic Unit with charges pending. Once the blood test results are received from the T.B.I. Crime Lab and the two investigations are complete, the Investigators will consult with the Office of the Sullivan County District Attorney to determine what charges will be warranted in each crash.
As previously released:
Crash Investigators from the Kingsport Police Department Traffic Unit have responded to the same car wash in the Colonial Heights area of Kingsport twice in just over a week in reference to two separate but very similar crashes. In both crashes, an employee of Southern Classic Car Wash, located at 4264 Fort Henry Drive, struck a co-worker in the parking lot with a customer’s vehicle. Furthermore, neither driver had a valid driver license. The two investigations revealed the following:
On March 10, 2016 at approximately 8:50 AM, employee Dwane Larry Whitfield, Jr. was pulling a customer’s 2007 Ford F-150 out of the wash bay into a drying area when he struck fellow employee Ronald S. Herndon who was working in the drying area. Mr. Herndon was pushed forward and pinned between the truck and a dirt embankment.
Mr. Herndon sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Holston Valley Medical Center by Sullivan County E.M.S. for emergency treatment.
Mr. Whitfield’s driver license was classified as revoked at the time of the crash. Due to the seriousness of injuries inflicted upon his co-worker, investigators requested that Mr. Whitfield submit to a blood test. He consented, with the resultant sample being sent to the T.B.I. Crime Lab for analysis.
Eight days later, on March 18, 2016 at approximately 2:25 PM, employee David Wayne Tyree was pulling a customer’s 2011 Ford Econoline E-350 out of the same wash bay into the same drying area when he struck fellow employee Christopher S. Crawford who was working in the drying area. After striking Mr. Crawford, the van struck two vehicles, a 2012 Ford Fusion and a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado. The van continued over the aforementioned dirt embankment and came to a rest after striking two more vehicles, a 1997 Honda Accord and a 2007 Honda Accord.
Mr. Crawford sustained serious but non-life threatening injuries and was transported to Holston Valley Medical Center by Sullivan County E.M.S. for emergency treatment.
Mr. Tyree’s driver license was classified as suspended at the time of the crash. Due to the seriousness of injuries inflicted upon his co-worker, investigators requested that Mr. Tyree submit to a blood test. He consented, with the resultant sample being sent to the T.B.I. Crime Lab for analysis.
Both crashes remain under investigation by the K.P.D. Traffic Unit with charges pending. Once the results are received from the T.B.I. Crime Lab and the two investigations are complete, the Investigators will consult with the Office of the Sullivan County District Attorney to determine what charges will be warranted in each crash. |