WHITE COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A horrific wreck involving 18 people left the White County community traumatized on Monday. Four people died in the three-vehicle crash, including a mother and child from an Amish community in Alabama.
The crash happened yesterday afternoon along Highway 111 in White County. Red spray paint still marked the spot where it unfolded.
According to preliminary reports, 22-year-old Braden Chaphe and a 2-year-old passenger were heading north when their vehicle sideswiped another car, crossed the median and slammed into a van head-on. Chaphe died at the scene.
Inside the van were 15 people, most of them family members of Gerold Miller. Miller said he had seen them just a few days earlier at a wedding.
“Many families are going through this right now,” Miller said. “They have our sympathy, and our prayers are with them right now.”
Ten of the van’s passengers were children, including a baby who was just 7 months old.
Witness Cindy Hotalen said she was still haunted by what she saw.
“I’m looking, and this white SUV came full force across the median,” Hotalen said. “It got airborne, landed and she was still trying to maneuver it. It went between me and another car and hit the van full of Amish head-on. I heard the impact.”
Miller said the Amish family had been heading home to Alabama.
“They are people that live off the land, no phones, no engines,” Miller said.
Troopers said the van’s driver, 76-year-old Stanley Stewart, along with Miller’s 29-year-old niece Bethany Beachy and her 2-year-old son Andrew, died in the crash. All of the other family members were taken to the hospital.
“We feel God is lifting us up in his wings and carrying us,” Miller said. “That’s the only thing we can turn to.”
He also expressed gratitude for the support the family had received from the community.
“Bethany is beyond a shadow of a doubt in heaven,” Miller said. “She had such a strong faith.”
Authorities said it remained unclear where each person in the van had been sitting or whether seatbelts had been used. The investigation was ongoing.
This story was reported on-air by reporter Aaron Cantrell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
I'm so thankful Robb Coles highlighted the Kamer Davis clinic in Hermitage and the hardship that may force its closure. The clinic provides care for patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities and there is no other place like it nearby. You can tell the staff is so passionate about the care they provide. I hope by shining the light on this, the right person can step in and make a difference.
- Carrie Sharp
