Investigators Say Motorcycle Traveled Down Embankment After Cemetery Collision
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) – A 65-year-old Dandridge woman has died after a motorcycle crash near French Broad Baptist Church in Jefferson County.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched around 2:46 p.m. on Nov. 2 to French Broad Baptist Church for a welfare check involving a woman who had reportedly been injured in a motorcycle crash.
When deputies arrived, Corporal Byrd spoke with the woman’s husband, who said his wife, identified as Beverly Cabaday, had called him and reported that she had been thrown from her motorcycle and was injured. He told deputies he headed to the church to meet her but was unable to find her upon arrival.
As part of the investigation, deputies reviewed surveillance footage from the church. Investigators determined that at approximately 2:45 p.m., Cabaday was traveling eastbound toward a nearby cemetery when her motorcycle struck a tombstone.
According to the sheriff’s office, the motorcycle continued approximately 50 feet after the initial collision before becoming airborne and traveling down an embankment. The motorcycle ultimately came to rest about 25 feet below near the lake bottom.
Deputies and investigators later located Cabaday and her motorcycle at the bottom of the embankment. She was found suffering from life-threatening injuries.
Emergency responders from Jefferson County EMS, the Jefferson County Rescue Squad and the Dandridge Fire Department responded to assist with rescue efforts and medical treatment.
Due to the severity of her injuries, Cabaday was transported by medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Authorities said she later died from her injuries.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office extended its condolences to Cabaday’s family and loved ones as they mourn her loss.
The crash remains under investigation.
