Troopers said a van driven by 54-year-old Ronnie Ross of Princeton was eastbound on US 62 when, for unknown reasons, the van crossed into the westbound lane of travel and onto the emergency strip. The van left the shoulder of the road, hit a ditch and then went airborne.
Police said the van then traveled across a field, went down an earthen embankment and overturned onto its top. Troopers said the van came to rest on its left side, against an earthen embankment.
Police said all four occupants had to be extricated from the van. Ross and one of his passengers, 61-year-old Perry Dirden, also of Princeton, were pronounced dead at the scene by the Caldwell County Coroner's Office. Two other passengers in the vehicle were injured.
Forty-year-old Sherry Whitehair of Princeton was flown by Air Evac to the Tristar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville for treatment. Seventeen-year-old Travis Whitehair of Princeton was transported via ambulance to the Caldwell County Medical Center where he was treated and released.
According to police, Ross and Travis Whitehair were wearing their seat belts. Dirden and Sherry Whitehair were not.
