Large Motor Home Accident on Newfound Gap Road
LyttleBryan August 23rd, 2010
As much as I dislike motor homes and other large vehicles in the park, this is still scary to hear. I hope everyone is alright…
(See attached file: BRIEFING – Motor Home accident 8-23-10.docx)
BRIEFING – MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
AUGUST 23, 2010 – 4:30 P.M.
Around 12 p.m. a one vehicle accident, involving a large motor home
with seven occupants, occurred in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in
the North Carolina side of the Park, about 3 miles south of Newfound Gap.
The motor home, driven by Robert McCanna Reilly, III, from Miami, Fla., was
traveling south on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441). The accident occurred
when Reilly attempted to pull the vehicle off the road onto a gravel
section of the shoulder but was unable to stop before the shoulder became
too narrow to support the vehicle. The RV fell onto its side and slid
about 100 feet down an extremely steep embankment.
Six of the seven occupants were injured. The driver did not suffer
any injuries. Two of the patients with severe injuries were transported by
Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) to Memorial Mission Hospital in
Asheville, N.C. Four other individuals were transported by Cherokee Tribal
Ambulance to Cherokee Hospital with less serious injuries.
The two individuals transported by MAMA were a 13-year old boy who
was in the front passenger seat; and Eduard Koefler, 57, was in the back of
the vehicle. The 13-year-old was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected
from the vehicle. Eduard was removed from inside the vehicle by the
occupants.
The other four patients were: Christoper Koefler (18); Ino Reilly,
30; Bridgette Koefler, 56, and Julia Koefler, 10. The Koeflers are all
from Austria and were visiting their relatives, the Reilly’s who live in
Miami.
The Newfound Gap Road was closed about 12:30 p.m. as emergency
personnel from Great Smoky Mountains National Park and several North
Carolina agencies converged on the scene to provide medical assistance to
the patients and conduct technical rescue operations. When emergency
personnel arrived on the scene all, but two of the passengers were
alongside the road. The patients transported by MAMA had to be hoisted up
the embankment by medical personnel. The other individuals scrambled up
the embankment to the roadside.
The North Carolina emergency services that were instrumental in the
rescue included Cherokee Tribal Emergency Management Services, Bryson City
Fire Department, Swain County Rescue, Cherokee Fire Department, and
Cherokee Natural Resources.
For more information: contact Nancy Gray 865/436-1208
The road remained closed as of 4:30 p.m. to allow a crane service to
remove the RV from the site.
