April 25, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
Drive through car wash took on a different meaning last Wednesday afternoon as an elderly motorist crashed into the Soft Touch Express Wash on Broad Street in Smithville.
According to Trooper Tony Myers of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 84-year-old Wilma Jo Motley of Smithville was traveling east in a 1997 Mercedes 4 door sedan when she ran off the roadway, collided with a curb, and then continued east off the roadway striking a highway sign. After impact with the sign the vehicle continued east through the parking lot and hit the car wash and payment kiosk before coming to a final rest against the building. Motley, who was wearing a seatbelt, was believed to have been seriously injured in the crash. Also on the scene along with the THP were DeKalb EMS and members of the Smithville Police and Fire Departments.