Woman saves family’s life after crash
CROCKETT COUNTY, Tenn. — A van flipped into the Forked Deer River Wednesday night, trapping an entire family. It happened on the stretch of Highway 70-79 in Crockett County that has a steep embankment and practically no shoulder. Rene Mullins is being hailed a hero, after freeing the family with a knife she had in her car. She was driving home from her nursing job in Memphis when the unexpected happened. “I just whipped in here, stopped, and jumped out,” said Mullins. “Then I could hear the kids screaming for help.” She had to jump down an embankment into the muddy waters to pull the family to safety. She said she was not even supposed to be driving down that road at the time of the crash. “I wasn’t even planning on coming home this way,” said Mullins. “For some reason yesterday I just thought, I’ll take the scenic route home.” When Mullins jumped in the water, she used her knife to free the driver of the car, who had been knocked unconscious and face down in the water. She also freed the woman’s three children. Local residents said carrying something like that in a car should be second nature. “We take it for granted, but basically a simple pair of basic finger nail clippers might have worked,” Angie Smith who keeps a cutting tool in her car said. Mullins said she was grateful she was able to help the family, but it was like a scary dream. “I’ve always hated this road, because I think, what if somebody goes off and they land in the water?,” said Mullins. “That was my worst nightmare to see that.” Mullins said she has not spoken with the family since the crash and does not even know their names, but hopes they are doing alright. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the driver swerved and flipped trying to avoid a beaver that had been run over.
