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UPDATE: Victim Identified in Single Car Accident
Comments 0 | Recommend 0Officials have identified the victim in Monday's single-car wreck on Old McClure Road in Bradley County as seven-year-old Haley Nicole Valenzuela. The child was partially thrown from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle was Buddy Franklin, 32, of Cleveland, Tennessee. He was treated and released at Sky Ridge Medical Center. Two other children were also in the vehicle at the time of the crash. Jacob Taylor, 5, was transported by LifeForce to T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital, where he is reported to be in serious but stable condition. Shayann D. Forgey, 8, was transported to SkyRidge Medical Center by BCEMS where she was treated and released.
At the time of the crash, Ricketts was delivering newspapers for the Cleveland Daily Banner, as a contract employee. The children were reportedly assisting him with the delivery. Ricketts is said to be the boyfriend of Trisha Taylor, who is the mother of Jacob Taylor. She and Ricketts, along with Michelle Forgey, mother of Shayann Forgey, are all reported to be contracted Banner delivery carriers. None of the children related to each other or to Ricketts.
Neighbors ran out to help when they heard the crash. Jesse Floyd says he, his wife, and another neighbor heard the kids screaming from down the road. He says it was an awful scene. "It was just terrible to see, and it breaks your heart when little children like that are involved."
BCSO Traffic Unit Investigator, Deputy Tony Cameron said speed was at least one contributing factor to the crash and not all children were properly restrained. The investigation is continuing and charges against the driver are pending.
Click here to watch video from the scene.
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