WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |2 Dickson Co. teens die in fiery crash

2 Dickson Co. teens die in fiery crash

DICKSON Co., Tenn. - Two high school students were killed in a car accident Tuesday afternoon in Dickson County.

According to the Dickson County Sheriff's Office, the single-vehicle accident happened around 3:30 p.m. on Steele Road near Highway 48 North, just south of the Charlotte community.

Investigators have identified the driver of the car as Tyler G. Broadfoot, 16, of Dickson.

Broadfoot was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.

The medical examiner was still trying to identify the teenage passenger.

According to a report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Broadfoot was driving a red, 1992 Mazda Miata down Steele Road toward Highway 48 at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway and went airborne.

The car struck a tree on the rear driver's side, causing the fuel tank to rupture and ignite the vehicle.

The car was engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived at the scene.

The sheriff's office said both teens were students at Creek Wood High School in nearby Charlotte. Broadfoot was a sophomore at the school.

Less than a day after their deaths, many students from Creekwood High School stopped by the crash site to pay their respects.

Sophomore Justin Corbitt said, "I didn't get to tell him bye, so this is my way of letting go."

Corbitt told News 2 the other person in the car was 17-year-old Brandon Walls, a good friend he wrestled with at school.

"If you knew Brandon, you would know he was one of a kind," said Corbitt. "He was a very good friend, a good person, a good student and a good wrestler."

News of the crash spread quickly Tuesday afternoon during a wrestling match at the high school.

"It's hard to believe this happened. Over the past few years, we've lost a lot of guys," said Corbitt, "They're both going to be really missed. I hope they're in a better place."

In the last seven years since Creek Wood High School opened, 12 students have died.

Rocks in a memorial garden outside the school's entrance represent each life lost up until this point.

The school's principal, Janie Jones said, "We need to put two more stones in it, yes, yes we do."

Jones says this latest tragedy hits very close to home for their school, especially because of all the students who have been lost, "I kind of drove right on it about an hour after it happened and your heart breaks."

Corbitt says many students take Steele Road as a quick shortcut through the area, often going well above the speed limit. "It's sad that it had to go that way, but it happens. I hope other people can learn from this. Take your time, drive slowly, and don't underestimate the car or the road," she said.

Jones says every day when students leave she tells them to buckle up and drive safely.

Now, she's considering having a meeting about driving too fast.

"I may even call all of our boys in and talk to them, really talk to them, because we've got to have a change. We can't drive 70 or 80 miles an hour. You saw our back roads."

School is out for Thanksgiving break, but Jones says they will have grief counselors on hand Monday to talk to students about what happened.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.