Motorcyclist Critical After Crash Off Highway 49 Embankment
COOPERTOWN, TENNESSEE (Smokey Barn News) – (Smokey Barn News) A serious motorcycle accident Tuesday afternoon sent one man to the hospital by helicopter following a daring hillside rescue on Highway 49W in Coopertown.
Initially, Robertson County 911 dispatchers received a report of a motorcycle crash on Hwy 49 near Oak Pointe Drive, the first call coming into 911 at 1:05 PM. LOCATION OF CRASH The caller described a man unconscious, lying down a steep embankment of jagged rock, prompting an immediate multi-agency response.
Robertson County Medic 5, stationed nearby at Coopertown Elementary, responded along with the Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department, Robertson EMA, and local law enforcement.
Upon arrival, first responders located the victim and his heavily damaged motorcycle roughly 25 feet below the highway in a location described as so concealed that, had the accident not been witnessed, the rider might have gone unnoticed for some time.
“Paramedics determined the man had critical injuries,” said Brent Dyer, Director of Robertson County EMS. Thanks to swift action by dispatchers, a medical helicopter had already been placed on standby. The patient’s condition confirmed the need for that air support.
Assistant Chief Trey Nelms of the Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department took command of the technical rescue. Crews used a Stokes Basket and rope system, along with a ladder rigged into a ramp, to navigate the sharp terrain and extract the victim safely. The man was stabilized and loaded into the ambulance before being transferred to a nearby yard where Air Evac 151 (Clarksville base) had landed. From there, he was flown to Skyline Medical Center.
Director Dyer noted that one Robertson County paramedic also sustained minor injuries during the operation. “We are monitoring one of our paramedics who took a fall himself after the patient was safely rescued. The scene was hazardous with the terrain and location, but thankfully he seems to only have some minor bruises,” Dyer said.
Dyer praised the coordinated effort. “I’d like to especially compliment the teamwork of everyone involved. Great job Pleasant View Vol Fire Dept., Robertson EMA, thanks to an off-duty Nashville Fire Dept. member for helping out, and to our law enforcement partners with Robertson County Sheriff’s Office for helping keep us safe and allowing traffic to keep flowing so our community could still travel along Hwy 49. THP is always great to help us, and today everyone did a great job, as always.”
Dyer also expressed gratitude to the bystander who first reported the crash: “Thank you to the 911 caller — the person who stayed with this man and made their way to his side while giving our 911 dispatchers information about the man’s condition before we arrived. This person risked themselves on that terrain to help someone, and I wish I could commend them in person. Their information gave us knowledge ahead of time to go ahead and get air medical support on standby, which helped get them there sooner.”
