As some of you know, I have posted in the past that I think driving excessive amounts of time to get to Disney is risky and dangerous. I would ask you to read the following article and ask yourself if getting to Disney early is worth it. I can gurantee the young man discussed in the article would rather have had his family alive then to be dealing with his loss after the tragic accident caused by driver fatigue.....
As I read the article it is fairly evident that seatbelts were not being worn. A friend of mine just lost her mother and uncle in an accident that was surviveable if they had just worn their seatbelts. Such a waste.
Jones shares details of family tragedy
By MIKE GRIFFITH, knsgriff@aol.com
November 18, 2003
Tennessee defensive tackle Greg Jones is living a nightmare.
Jones said he has slept for only four hours over the past three days since learning of the tragic single-car accident on a desolate stretch of Interstate 65 near Greenville, Ala. The accident, which occurred at 2:19 a.m. CST, killed his 23-year-old pregnant sister, Naytala Durr, and involved seven other members of Jones' family.
His mother, Phyllis Muhammad; his grandmother, Zenora Lewis; his cousin, Chris Hall; and his niece, Anyiah Durr were hospitalized in Alabama.
At press time, Lewis was in the neuro-intensive care unit at UAB Hospital in Birmingham after undergoing brain surgery Monday.
Jones' niece, 6-year-old Anyiah, is on life support in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children's Hospital in Birmingham.
Jones said his mother suffered a broken arm and injuries to both knees, all of which required surgery at a Montgomery hospital.
Jones said his cousin, Chris Hall, who was driving, had an ear surgically re-attached and suffered damage to the top of his skull as the result of his head going through the sun roof when the vehicle flipped. Jones said Hall also had surgery to repair a fractured spine. Hall was released Monday.
Jones said three of the occupants in the Ford Explorer survived the wreck relatively unscathed: two cousins, girls ages 13 and 8, and Jones' youngest niece, an 8-month-old.
As Jones understands it, the accident happened after his cousin fell asleep at the wheel and the car veered onto the shoulder of the road.
"My grandmother was in the passenger seat and felt him going over the rumble strips,'' Jones said. "He had his cruise on 75 (mph), and my grandmother, as she felt him in the rumble strips, she tried to steer back into the lane . they lost control and it began to flip.''
Jones said both his cousin and his mother said the vehicle flipped six times. Five of the passengers - including his sister - were ejected.
Jones said doctors aren't sure what killed his sister, who was 71/2 months pregnant, but they have speculated she died upon impact, perhaps of a heart attack.
Jones said his youngest niece, the 8-month-old, was located by her cries as she crawled in a pile of leaves. Jones said his mother had removed the 8-month-old from her car seat and placed her in her lap just prior to the accident.
Jones said it was going to be the second time his mother's side of the family had come to a UT game to see him play. Jones had regained the starting role at defensive tackle for the Mississippi State game as a result of Mondre Dickerson's suspension from the team.
Jones said he last talked with his grandmother at 1 a.m. Saturday. She had called to inform him that the family had just crossed the Alabama state line on the 10-hour trip to Knoxville. They left their homes, in the Gulfport, Miss., area, at approximately 11 p.m.
Jones tried to call them Saturday morning to check on their progress. Getting no answer, he assumed they were simply out of range.
One hour before kickoff, Jones got a phone call from his father, Greg Jones Sr., who now lives in Jonesboro, Ark., with Jones' stepmother.
As I read the article it is fairly evident that seatbelts were not being worn. A friend of mine just lost her mother and uncle in an accident that was surviveable if they had just worn their seatbelts. Such a waste.
Jones shares details of family tragedy
By MIKE GRIFFITH, knsgriff@aol.com
November 18, 2003
Tennessee defensive tackle Greg Jones is living a nightmare.
Jones said he has slept for only four hours over the past three days since learning of the tragic single-car accident on a desolate stretch of Interstate 65 near Greenville, Ala. The accident, which occurred at 2:19 a.m. CST, killed his 23-year-old pregnant sister, Naytala Durr, and involved seven other members of Jones' family.
His mother, Phyllis Muhammad; his grandmother, Zenora Lewis; his cousin, Chris Hall; and his niece, Anyiah Durr were hospitalized in Alabama.
At press time, Lewis was in the neuro-intensive care unit at UAB Hospital in Birmingham after undergoing brain surgery Monday.
Jones' niece, 6-year-old Anyiah, is on life support in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children's Hospital in Birmingham.
Jones said his mother suffered a broken arm and injuries to both knees, all of which required surgery at a Montgomery hospital.
Jones said his cousin, Chris Hall, who was driving, had an ear surgically re-attached and suffered damage to the top of his skull as the result of his head going through the sun roof when the vehicle flipped. Jones said Hall also had surgery to repair a fractured spine. Hall was released Monday.
Jones said three of the occupants in the Ford Explorer survived the wreck relatively unscathed: two cousins, girls ages 13 and 8, and Jones' youngest niece, an 8-month-old.
As Jones understands it, the accident happened after his cousin fell asleep at the wheel and the car veered onto the shoulder of the road.
"My grandmother was in the passenger seat and felt him going over the rumble strips,'' Jones said. "He had his cruise on 75 (mph), and my grandmother, as she felt him in the rumble strips, she tried to steer back into the lane . they lost control and it began to flip.''
Jones said both his cousin and his mother said the vehicle flipped six times. Five of the passengers - including his sister - were ejected.
Jones said doctors aren't sure what killed his sister, who was 71/2 months pregnant, but they have speculated she died upon impact, perhaps of a heart attack.
Jones said his youngest niece, the 8-month-old, was located by her cries as she crawled in a pile of leaves. Jones said his mother had removed the 8-month-old from her car seat and placed her in her lap just prior to the accident.
Jones said it was going to be the second time his mother's side of the family had come to a UT game to see him play. Jones had regained the starting role at defensive tackle for the Mississippi State game as a result of Mondre Dickerson's suspension from the team.
Jones said he last talked with his grandmother at 1 a.m. Saturday. She had called to inform him that the family had just crossed the Alabama state line on the 10-hour trip to Knoxville. They left their homes, in the Gulfport, Miss., area, at approximately 11 p.m.
Jones tried to call them Saturday morning to check on their progress. Getting no answer, he assumed they were simply out of range.
One hour before kickoff, Jones got a phone call from his father, Greg Jones Sr., who now lives in Jonesboro, Ark., with Jones' stepmother.
