Woman, child die in accident

An Obion County woman and a young child were killed Sunday when their vehicle ran off Highway 21 and struck a tree down an embankment.
Tonya Dotson, 38, of Obion and Alex Dotson, 9, died as the result of a one-car crash that occurred about 10:45 a.m. on Highway 21 just outside Hornbeak.
Ms. Dotson was westbound on Highway 21 in a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer and was attempting to navigate a right curve at the time of the crash, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Her vehicle crossed the center line and the eastbound travel lane before exiting the south roadway edge.
The vehicle traveled down an embankment and struck a tree with its front. It rotated to final rest on the steep embankment against the tree, THP Trooper Nathan Hall reported.
Ms. Dotson’s other passenger, 11-year-old Dustin Dotson, was injured in the accident. No details about the extent of his injuries or treatment were available on the report obtained this morning from the Tennessee Department of Safety’s media contact.
The THP reported it was unknown whether or not Ms. Dotson or Dustin were wearing seat belts and indicated Alex was using a seat belt but it was not properly worn.
The investigating trooper reported he believed the use of seat belts would have made a difference.
The crash occurred just outside Hornbeak on the section of Highway 21 which goes toward Reelfoot Lake, sources told The Messenger.
The deaths of Ms. Dotson and the child are the third and fourth traffic fatalities so far this year in Obion County. The two previous fatal crashes both occurred in February, with one in Troy and one in Obion.
By comparison, there had been 10 traffic fatalities by this same time last year in Obion County and one of those was a triple fatality that occurred Jan. 7, 2012, on Highway 21 just outside Hornbeak on the side heading toward Troy.

Published in The Messenger 5.20.13