Oneida, TN (2008-03-28) A single vehicle accident on Coopertown Road in west Oneida snarled traffic in the area for more than two hours Friday morning and forced the closure of Burchfield Elementary School.
According to Cpl. Ronnie Phillips of the Oneida Police Department, Marcus Wayne Mansfield, 22, of Oneida was driving west on Coopertown Road around 7:19 a.m. Friday morning, when he reportedly lost control of his vehicle and left the roadway. Mansfield’s 1993 Ford Crown Victoria, said Phillips, apparently left the westbound shoulder of the highway and struck a utility pole on the edge of the street. The vehicle then collided and came to rest on a fire hydrant just east of Cooper Lake Drive in west Oneida.
With utility lines lying near the roadway and the hydrant ruptured, authorities shut down the section of highway near the accident, re-routing traffic from S.R. 297 onto Cooper Lake Drive for more than two and one-half hours. The Oneida Water Department was forced into shutting off the main water that serviced the area to repair the hydrant. The Scott County School System was also forced to close Burchfield Elementary School because of the water situation.
The Scott County Ambulance Service transported Mansfield from the scene to St. Mary’s Medical Center of Scott County for minor injuries.
Cpl. Phillips charged Mansfield with driving under the influence. He was booked at the Oneida Police Department and later transferred to the Scott County Jail.
Sgt. John Terry, and Investigator Paul D. Adkins of the Oneida Police Department and Sgt. Gary Sexton and School Resource Officer (SRO) Troy Hull assisted Phillips with traffic control at the scene.