Woman killed in Portland crash
Police say speed and alcohol played a factor in the collision.
PORTLAND, Tenn. (WSMV) - Portland Police said Thursday that one person has died in a crash on South Broadway on Wednesday morning.
Police said Melinda Alexander-Gurley, 45, of Portland, died on Thursday from injuries sustained in the crash. She was the driver of an Altima that was pushed into an ambulance stopped at a red light at the intersection of South Broadway and Longview Road.
Speed and alcohol were a factor in the crash, Portland Police said Wednesday in a news release.
Police said William S. Swafford, 26, of Portland, will face multiple charges after the crash around 11:25 a.m. at the intersection of South Broadway (Highway 109) and Longview Road.
According to police, Swafford failed to stop for a stop light at the intersection of South Broadway and Longview. He was traveling northbound when his Chevrolet Impala struck a Nissan Altima on the driver’s side, pushing it into a Sumner EMS ambulance that was stopped in the southbound lanes for the traffic signal.
Alexander Gurley was taken to Skyline Medical Center in very critical condition on Wednesday. Swafford was taken to Sumner Regional Medical Center in Gallatin where he was treated and released. The occupants of the ambulance were uninjured.
Swafford was arrested after his release from the hospital. He has been charged with DUI second offense, two counts of assault on an officer, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, failure to exercise due care and failure to obey a traffic control device. He will appear in Sumner County General Sessions Court on May 10. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending, according to police.
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