Johnson County crash leaves 4 dead, including Mountain City family
Published 7:10 pm Sunday, May 17, 2015
MOUNTAIN CITY – A motor vehicle crash Saturday night left four dead, including a family of three from Mountain City.
The accident happened about 8:15 p.m. on Highway 421 near the Tennessee-North Carolina state line, North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesperson Conia Hux said.
Michael Pinkham, 64, of Ridgeway, S.C., was driving a pickup truck northbound on Highway 421 when he crossed over the center line and struck a car head-on. The driver of the other car, 25-year-old Nicholas Blackwell, his wife 24-year-old Molly Blackwell and their 11 month old daughter Harper, all of Mountain City, died at the scene of the crash. Pinkham died later as a result of his injuries.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, Hux said, adding it is currently unknown if alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash.