Driver dead after car drove off the road, fell 45 feet onto boulder and into Douglas Lake

THP said the incident happened on Chestnut Hill Road Saturday night in Jefferson County.

CHESTNUT HILL, Tenn. — Update (07/30/22): The driver, identified as Kirk Smith, did not survive the crash that happened at Douglas Lake last Saturday night, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to another serious crash over the weekend, saying a Florida man suffered injuries after his car drove off the road and fell onto a boulder at Douglas Lake.

Troopers said the crash happened around 9 p.m. Saturday night at Chestnut Hill Road in Jefferson County.

 

The driver, identified as 57-year-old Kirk Smith from Eustis, Fla., was driving his car north on Chestnut Hill Road when he drove off the right side of the roadway, according to THP’s preliminary crash report.

 

Troopers said the driver lost control and hit a sign before continuing north on the grassy shoulder. THP said he eventually crossed a private drive and drove off a cove, falling roughly 45 feet down onto a large boulder before crashing into the water at Douglas Lake.

 

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officers, Chase Rich, Hunter Wisecarver, Justin Pinkston, and Sgt. Rusty Thompson, assisted with the rescue of the driver that was trapped in the submerged vehicle, TWRA said. The officers performed CPR on the victim while transporting him to the shore and carried him up a steep bank awaiting medical personnel.

 

The victim was airlifted to the hospital but he did not survive.

 

The Chestnut Hill Volunteer Fire Department and others responded, asking people to avoid the area as it cleared space for a helicopter around 9:30 p.m.

 

THP said the man could face charges depending on the outcome of its investigation.

 

State troopers and others have responded to several serious crashes across East Tennessee since Friday night that killed at least five people.