Thursday morning, approximately 7:30 a.m., 28-year-old Randy James Wheeler of Crossville was headed south on Glade Creek Road in Cumberland County when his vehicle ran off the roadway twice before striking a tree head on.

According to preliminary reports from Tennessee Highway Patrol, Wheeler, who was not wearing a  seatbelt, had to be life-flighted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville.

There were no passengers in Wheeler’s vehicle and there were no other vehicles involved in the mishap. It has not been determined whether speed was a factor in the crash; the speed limit there is 45 miles per hour. Wheeler’s condition is unknown and charges have not been ruled out.

Photos by Gary Whittenburg. The helicopter landed in his parents’ yard.