ATV accident victim rescued after plunging 40-feet over embankment

Another busy weekend for CCRFS, Caryville Volunteer Fire Dept. and La Follette Rescue Squad

CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN (WLAF)- Service agencies in Campbell County that rely solely on volunteers were pushed to the max again this weekend, and that’s not uncommon.

At 12:13pm on Saturday, first responders with the Campbell County Rural Fire Service (CCRFS) were dispatched to a report of a vehicle that had wrecked into the front of a house in the 500 block of Duff Road at Duff, according the CCRFS Chief Daniel Lawson. One person suffering from non-life threatening injuries was transported by Campbell EMS to the La Follette Medical Center Emergency Room.

A brush fire developed late Saturday afternoon north of La Follette. At 5:01pm, firefighters with the CCRFS was dispatched to South Hwy 25W, Jellico Highway, for a report of a brush fire. Just before the dump at Peabody is where the fire was discovered. Crews were able to contain the fire to less than a half-acre.

At 7:21 Sunday evening, the call of a truck on fire was reported at the Turley Cemetery off old Highway 63 . The truck ended up being a total loss, and there were no injuries, according the CVFD Chief Eddie Hatmaker. Firefighters with the Caryville Volunteer Fire Department along with Caryville Police Officers responded. A Campbell Deputy was also on scene.

Members of the La Follette Rescue Squad were dispatched to Ollis Creek Trail at Ivydale at 7:26 Saturday night for an ATV accident. Upon arrival, they discovered a male over an embankment some 40-feet down.

LRS crews set up a rope system to bring the injured male patient up the embankment. The patient was loaded on the LRS side by side and transported to the awaiting Campbell EMS Unit and was transported to a Knoxville hospital. A medical helicopter was requested, but inclement weather prevented it from flying.

This is the second ATV accident this week. The LRS and Caryville Volunteer Fire Department responded to Red Ash Wednesday evening for an ATV accident with two patients. One of the patients was airlifted to a Knoxville hospital and the other was transported to La Follette Medical Center E-R.

Volunteers with the CCRFS ran a total of five calls on Saturday and one on Sunday. There was an additional two EMS calls along with and illegal burn call. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-04/20/2026-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF CCRFS CHIEF DANIEL LAWSON AND CVFD CHIEF EDDIE HATMAKER)