From The Tazewell Police Department -
On Friday September 06, 2019 at 6:32am tragedy struck our small community. Tazewell Police Officers were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian on State Hwy. 33 in front of Catdaddys Market.
Unfortunately 16 year old Katelyn Cunliffe who was a nearby resident was struck and killed by a southbound van. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
We can not begin to put into words the heaviness surrounding our community today. We grieve for the family of the victim and the other party involved in the crash. Chief Jeremy Myers requested Tennessee Highway Patrol to conduct the investigation and it is ongoing.
We ask for prayers for the families involved, the Claiborne High School community. Please don’t forget the police officers, the dispatchers, the firefighters and emergency services workers and all who were involved in today’s events. The public has no idea the weight they carry in the service of their communities.
The Tazewell Police Department would like to thank the Claiborne County Sheriffs Office for their assistance and providing Chaplain Steve Ousley to assist both the family and first responders and students as well as the phenomenal job done by the sheriffs office SROs and school counselors in helping the student body. We also thank the THP, TNT Fire Department, Tazewell Street Department, Claiborne EMS, Claiborne E-911, and everyone else involved.
The delay up to this point on a press release was due to notification of next of kin.