Dresden Man Airlifted Following Single-Vehicle Accident

A 1998 F-150 Ford pickup, driven by Matthew C. Mangum of Dresden, struck a tree head-on, resulting in the victim being airlifted to a Paducah, Kentucky, hospital Saturday morning. Photo Courtesy of Sharon Fire Department

WEAKLEY COUNTY (October 24) — A Dresden man was airlifted to a regional hospital after being involved in a single-vehicle accident Saturday, October 24. The accident occurred on Highway 45 East, just north of Old Troy Road, between Martin and Sharon.

According to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report, at approximately 9:15 a.m., the driver, Matthew C. Mangum, 37, of Dresden was traveling south on Highway 45, in a 1998 F-150 Ford pickup, when his vehicle veered off the roadway to the right, striking a driveway embankment and then a tree.

The victim appeared to have a broken ankle and complained of chest pains.

A medical helicopter was initially dispatched to the scene, but the flight had to be aborted, due to poor visibility at that location. The victim was transported by ground ambulance to the Air Evac flight base in Martin, where he was airlifted to a Paducah, Kentucky, hospital.

The report states Mangum was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Agencies responding to the scene included the THP, Weakley County Emergency Medical Services, Sharon Fire Department and the Weakley County Sheriff's Department.

Emergency personnel cleared the scene by approximately 11:04 a.m.