Rural/Metro Ambulance Service personnel and Blount County Rescue Squad members attempt to stabilize a motorcyclist after a crash Sunday on Six Mile Road. The man was later pronounced dead at Blount Memorial Hospital.

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Crash kills man; Lifestar responds to two motorcyle wrecks

By Jessica Stith
of The Daily Times Staff

Originally published: August 11. 2008 3:01AM
Last modified: August 10. 2008 11:44PM

Lifestar helicopters responded to two crashes on Sunday evening, but one of the two victims never made it to the helicopter.

According to Blount Memorial Hospital staff, Randall Darrell Bowers, 49, Chota Road, Maryville, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Lifestar landed to take Bowers from the crash, but he was instead taken by ambulance to the hospital as emergency personnel attempted to resuscitate him.

Bowers was involved in the second motorcycle wreck of the evening. The crash occurred at about 7:30 p.m. on Six Mile Road in front of Kagley's Chapel Baptist Church.

According to Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper James Dalton, Bowers was riding a 2003 Victory Vegas and turned right on Six Mile Road from Chota Road. He said Dallas Ray Skinner, 47, Vonore, was traveling westbound on Six Mile Road in a 1996 Ford Taurus and was passing a pickup truck.

Bowers pulled out just as Skinner was passing the pickup truck, and Skinner tried to go around motorcyclist as well, Dalton said.

"They both just kept speeding up," Dalton said.

Dalton said the motorcycle and the car collided. The motorcycle came to a rest on the right hand side of the road and Skinner's car went off the left side of the road.

Skinner did not appear to have any serious injuries.

Dragon crash

At about 5:45 p.m. on the Dragon, rescue workers pulled a motorcyclist and his passenger up an embankment. Blount County firefighters, Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad personnel and members of the Blount Special Operations Response Team (BSORT) responded to the rescue. Blount County Sheriff's deputies also assisted at the accident.

According to Dalton, Michael Copeland, 37, Bluffton, Ind., was riding a Kawasaki Ninja 600 motorcycle northbound on Calderwood Highway. Witnesses reported that Copeland rode around a curve near mile marker 12, popped the motorcycle up on the back wheel, passed two cars, lost control, of the motorcycle, hit a tree and then went down an embankment.

"The motorcycle landed 33 feet down the embankment, he landed 50 feet down and she (a female passenger) landed 90 feet down," Dalton said.

Dalton said the identity of the female passenger was not available on Sunday night, but should be available on today.

Rural/Metro emergency personnel took the female passenger to a nearby landing zone, and she was taken by Lifestar to University of Tennessee Medical Center. Copeland was taken by ambulance to UT Medical Center.

Dalton said that it appeared the female had two broken legs and the male may have had one broken leg and was complaining of chest pain.

Dalton said charges are pending in both crashes.