1 killed, 2 hurt in McMinn County crash

ATHENS, Tennessee (WDEF) – The driver of a car that crashed in McMinn County just before midnight on Saturday blames an animal for the wreck.

It happened on County Road 580 south of Athens, near the airport.

She told troopers that she swerved to avoid an animal and shot off the road.

Her 2016 Dodge Charger went down an embankment, hit a tree and spun around.

The motion ejected one of her passengers.

20 year old Raul Cabrera, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver and another passenger were injured.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol preliminary report says the car was travelling in excess of the 55 mile per hour speed limit at the time of the crash.