ROANE COUNTY, Tenn. — The sister of a Roane County woman who jumped out of a speeding truck with her child said they're both in the hospital but doing okay.
Rockwood Police Department records show that the truck was traveling down the Tom Fuller Boat Ramp on Pumphouse Road in Rockwood on Sept. 4. According to the police report, officers found Laura Snow and her daughter, Sadie, with several injuries at the Tom Fuller Boat Ramp at Watts Bar Lake.
Laura's sister, Megan Snow, said Laura's quick thinking likely saved their lives.
"A lot of the story was from what my 4-year-old niece said, because my sister, her brain bleed was on her frontal lobe, which is your memory. As she's waking up and come back to consciousness and returned her memory some, she's given us more of what happened," said Megan.
Megan said her sister was in the front seat holding her daughter Sadie while setting up a Bluetooth device in Adam Black's truck. She said Black then closed the door and started driving.
"He lived on the waters, almost directly next to the water, and he just took off. So we still don't know what the motive was but that's what he did. And, he was very intoxicated," said Megan.
According to the police report, witnesses saw the vehicle start going down the boat ramp. They said they said the passenger door opened and a woman and baby jumped out. Megan said her sister suffered the most injuries including road rash on her arms and legs, a brain bleed and a broken foot.
"Her jaw, horrible TMJ. Her left ear was almost ripped off. It's stitched and sutured back together. And we're thinking she's permanently lost her hearing and then where she flipped, she had a metal claw clip in and that fractured the base of her skull and her spine. And then Sadie has no injuries except mild road rash, a very small patch and then she broke her leg from the weight of mom," said Megan.
Megan said she's started a GoFundMe campaign to help support her sister and niece because her sister is not expected to return to work for a long time.
"Just to make sure that all her bills and stuff are maintained while she can't work, until everything's set up and mostly just to keep them comfortable while they're stuck in bed and anything extra that they might need," said Megan.
Megan said her niece had surgery and is doing okay, but her sister is going to need physical therapy.
"Sadie had surgery, fused her bone back together. She has a cast, she's just restless in bed. Laura is doing okay. She's got a lot of recovering to do. Her foot's broken, she's gonna need physical therapy. They're talking about putting her in rehab. She has a long way to go, but she's still here so that's all you can really ask for," said Megan.
She also said her sister is a single parent, so it doesn't surprise her that she did whatever it took to save her daughter.
"It was almost unbelievable to think she did it at first, but she did jump out of an 80-mile-per-hour car to save their life. So, it doesn't surprise me. She did it because she's very, very protective. But it's still surprising that she survived it," said Megan.
Black is currently being held in the Roane County Jail. He is facing various charges including DUI, aggravated vehicular assault and reckless endangerment.