Man dies in single-vehicle accident

By Thomas Wilson
STAR STAFF
twilson@starhq.com

   A 31-year-old Carter County man died in a single-vehicle accident on Creekbank Road in the Stoney Creek area on Sunday evening.
   According to Tennessee Highway Patrolman Brad Proffitt, Donald R. Whitehead, 31, 2927 Highway 91, was traveling northbound on Creekbank Road when the vehicle he was driving skidded off the road, striking a tree and overturning onto the driver's side. Proffitt said preliminary investigation indicated Whitehead was traveling at an excessive rate of speed when the accident occurred. Whitehead was not wearing a seat belt, according to the THP report.
   The accident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. Sunday night, according to public safety officials at the scene. Stoney Creek Volunteer Fire Department crews and Carter County Rescue Squad personnel set up flood lights to illuminate the crash site and used a blue tarp to barricade the accident scene from the view of onlookers. Rescuers battled darkness and frigid temperatures in their efforts to extricate Whitehead and clear the roadway.
   A preliminary investigation also indicated intoxicants may have played a role in the accident, according to the THP report. Proffitt said the owner of the vehicle Whitehead was driving had not been determined. The accident remained under investigation as of late Sunday night.