At 5:01 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers were notified of a three-vehicle collision on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) south of Carlos Campbell Overlook in Tennessee.
Rangers reported that a head-on collision occurred between a southbound Volkswagen Passat and a northbound GMC Yukon. Both drivers were killed as a result of their injuries. The driver of the Passat was identified as 64-year-old James P. Henning of St. Ann, Mo. The driver of the GMC Yukon was identified as 53-year-old Rodney W. Schwartz of Sevierville, Tenn. No additional occupants were in either vehicle.
A third vehicle travelling north, a Chevrolet Cruz, rear ended the GMC Yukon immediately after the initial collision. All five occupants of the Cruz were transported to Leconte Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
In addition to Rangers, TN Highway Patrol and Gatlinburg Fire and Rescue responded to the wreck. Newfound Gap Road closed briefly for emergency response and reopened at approximately 8:12 p.m. Saturday evening.
– National Park Service release
