A Dobyns-Bennett High School band student lost both parents in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 40 in Knoxville, according to an announcement from the band. WVLT reported that the student was traveling on the band’s bus that night after a competition and was not hurt in the crash.
The band’s announcement did not tie the deaths to a specific crash, but a Tennessee Highway Patrol report confirmed a 22-year-old is facing charges after a wrong-way crash near Sutherland Avenue. The wrong-way driver has been hospitalized, and specific details have not yet been released.
The band said the student is facing the unimaginable loss of both parents. The announcement described the Dobyns-Bennett Band as rooted in community, service and sacrifice, noting that the school’s One Tribe spirit has been evident through an outpouring of support from families.
Fellow students and families are stepping up to support the band member. The band designated a contact person in the school’s counseling office and another within its Booster organization to coordinate the response while remaining mindful of the family’s needs, privacy and space to grieve. Dobyns-Bennett High School is in Kingsport, Tennessee.
For more information, visit wvlt.tv.