An Arlington youth involved in a Sunday morning wreck on Chester Road is fortunate to be alive.
Earle Farrell, public information officer for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, updated the story on Monday night. He said the driver, a 16-year-old with a fresh driver’s license, was headed east near Larry Anderson Lane toward his aunt’s house when he lost control and slammed his car headfirst into a tree.
Other media reports have noted that the driver lost control after entering a notoriously bad curve where people often speed, and it’s not known whether wet road conditions contributed to the accident.
Luckily, he was wearing a seatbelt. Unluckily, the impact was hard enough to wrap the front of the car around the tree.
He suffered a head injury and a broken femur and was transported to Regional One in Memphis in critical condition, but he’s expected to survive, Farrell said. From the wreckage, it definitely appeared that the teen was exceeding the 35 mph speed limit, he said. There were reportedly no skid marks at the accident scene.
The victim’s name has not been published due to his age.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, special to the Express. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
