Death toll in Tennessee crash updated to 4 youths, 2 adults

PLEASANT VIEW, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities on Monday revised the number of youths killed over the weekend in a Tennessee highway crash, saying that four girls ages 1 to 12 died instead of the six they originally reported.

Emergency crews found a car upside down with extensive damage early Sunday when they responded at about 2 a.m. to the crash site on Interstate 24 in Robertson County, said Brent Dyer, chief of the county’s emergency management services office.

In a news release sent after the crash, Robertson County EMS said first responders found six females ranging in age from 1 to 18 who had been thrown from the car and could not be resuscitated.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol released a report Monday identifying the car as a Toyota Camry and placing the number of people who were in the vehicle at eight.

The report revised the ages of those killed from six youths to four girls and two adults. All six were riding in the Camry. The highway patrol said the girls’ ages were 1, 3, 5 and 12. Their names were not released.

Also killed was the driver of the Camry, the highway patrol said. She was identified as Tania Rodriguez, 21.

A sixth person who was killed was identified as Rina Reyes, 35, who was a passenger in the Camry. Two other passengers, Saira Reyes, 34, and Anthony Gellardo, 18, were injured, the highway patrol said.

Of the eight people in the Camry, only Gellardo was wearing a seat belt.

A car that crashed with the Camry was found nearby, officials said. The driver, identified as Matthew Flint, 23, was not injured, the highway patrol said.

The crash took place on I-24 near Pleasant View and Springfield, north of Nashville. A section of the highway was closed for hours before reopening later Sunday. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.

The Robertson County emergency management office said it was coordinating professional mental health and counseling services for crews that responded to the crash.