Woman killed in crash

By Mark Boxley
of The Daily Times Staff

A three-vehicle accident involving a Blount County school bus sent four to the hospital Wednesday and resulted in Blount County's second traffic fatality of the year.

According to information from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the crash happened at about 4:47 p.m. on East Lamar Alexander Parkway (U.S. 321) near Walland.

Thomas Pitzer, 72, who lives adjacent to the scene of the accident, said he was stopped in the northbound lane of U.S. 321 waiting to turn left into his driveway just before the wreck occurred. A Blount County school bus was also traveling northbound on the road, and the driver apparently did not see his vehicle or did not know he had stopped, Pitzer said. The bus swerved into oncoming traffic in the southbound lane to miss Pitzer's red Ford minivan.

"You could have touched it, it was so close," said Betty Pitzer, who was also in the van. "The next thing we knew, that bus was there and that close to us."

The bus, driven by William Millsaps, 64, Walland, then hit a black 2002 Honda Accord driven by Melissa Nelams, 42, Lafayette, La., according to the Highway Patrol.

The impact was head-on, and according to witness Elizabeth Mohon, Petersburg, the bus ran over and crushed the top of Nelams' Honda.

"The bus went over the top of it," she said. "Like up and over her (Nelams)."

The force of the impact sent Nelams' vehicle into the northbound lane of U.S. 321 behind Pitzer's van. At that point, she was hit again by another vehicle traveling northbound on the road. Richard Petsch, 47, Louisville, was driving a 2003 Honda CRV when he hit Nelams' car, before veering off the road and coming to rest in a ditch more than 10 feet below the roadway.

Nelams had to be extricated from her vehicle and was flown by Lifestar helicopter to University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Two passengers in her vehicle, Taylor Nelams, 16, and Weston Nelams, 13, were taken by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to Blount Memorial Hospital where they were treated and released, said THP Trooper John Pedigo.

The three had family in the area and were on their way to visit Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg when the accident happened, he said.

Petsch was also taken by Rural/Metro to BMH, where he was listed in stable condition, Pedigo said.

The Pitzers and Millsaps were not injured in the accident.

No charges had been filed against any of the individuals involved as of Wednesday, but charges could be pending, Pedigo said.

Wednesday's accident resulted in the second traffic fatality in Blount County for 2008. By this date in 2007 there had been seven traffic fatalities in Blount County.
The Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad responded to the accident.