A man is facing seven counts of vehicular assault, along with charges of driving under the influence and child endangerment, after a crash caused by driving the wrong way on Interstate 81 in Greene County. The accident happened Sunday just before 6:30 p.m.
According to a preliminary report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 31-year-old Mardoqueo Aguilar Diaz of North Carolina was driving southbound in the northbound lanes near mile marker 21. Diaz struck a vehicle driven by 24-year-old Peter Cresci of Tennessee head-on. Diaz’s car went airborne and came to rest on the hood of a third vehicle, which was traveling behind Cresci. Another vehicle then struck Cresci’s car in the rear.
A total of eight passengers were in Diaz’s vehicle. Six children in the car were all injured, two of them seriously. Two adult passengers, Roselia Domingo Ramirez and Reyna Domingo Ramirez, were also injured. A passenger in Cresci’s vehicle, Hanna Clonce of Tennessee, was also injured. The driver of the third vehicle, 53-year-old Amir Rashid of Virginia, and the driver of the fourth vehicle, 29-year-old Terrin Pitts of Maryland, were not injured in the accident. The drivers of those three vehicles were all wearing their seatbelts. It was not determined if Diaz or the juveniles in his vehicle were properly restrained.
Two medical helicopters and at least five ambulances responded to the wreck on Sunday. A third helicopter was called for, but none were available at the time.
In addition to the THP and EMS, the Mosheim and Town of Mosheim Volunteer Fire Departments and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department also responded.
