Car crashes into rocky hillside in Great Smoky Mountains, killing teen from Ohio

A teen from Ohio was killed Monday in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, when the vehicle she was riding in crashed into a rocky hillside, according to the National Park Service.

The teen was identified as Elizabeth Marie Parker, 19, of Centerville, Ohio, which is just south of Dayton, the release said.

Investigators say the single-vehicle crash happened around 11:45 p.m. Monday on the Tennessee side of the park, between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

“A 2012 Honda sedan left the right side of the roadway and collided into the rock hillside,” officials said. “The front seat passenger, Elizabeth Marie Parker ... was transported to LeConte Medical Center where she was pronounced dead as a result of her injuries.”

The driver and a second passenger were also injured and flown from the site to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, officials said. Their identities and condition were not released.

Parker’s death is at least the third traffic fatality reported this year in the Great Smoky Mountains, which has the “highest visitation of any of the 59 national parks,” according to the National Park Service. All three fatalities were the result of single-vehicle accidents — one involving a motorcycle — and the victims were ages 25 or younger.

This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Car crashes into rocky hillside in Great Smoky Mountains, killing teen from Ohio."