ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Editor's Note: A previous version of this story showed the age of one victim as 30 years old, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol preliminary report. The age has since been corrected to 25 years old.
One person was charged after two people died in an Anderson County crash Thursday, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
54-year-old Stephen Lee Watts was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and two counts of vehicular homicide by impairment, THP said.
Watts, who was driving a Toyota, was traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-75 near Rocky Top around 11 a.m. Watts hit a Nissan traveling southbound head-on, according to THP.
According to the report, 67-year-old Donna Morris and 25-year-old Caitlyn Branam died in the crash. Watts was hurt in the crash, THP said.
As of Sept. 4, 2023, there have been 885 car crash fatalities this year, compared to 863 at this time last year. This is an increase of 2.5%. This increase isn't only statewide, it's also seen on the local level too.
There have been 135 car crash fatalities in the Knoxville-area Tennessee Highway Patrol District, compared to 110 for the same time frame in 2022. This is an increase of 22.7%.
However, Anderson County has seen a decline in the amount of fatal crashes this year compared to last year.
There were ten crashes reported this time last year, compared to six this year — a 40% decrease.