Stones River |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Thursday, November 2, 1989 On the morning of October 25th, the body of F.L.K., 36, an NPS employee at Stone's River who lived in Murfreesboro, was found near his truck on the side of a road in Nashville. F.L.K. apparently died as the result of a gunshot wound. The Nashville Police Department is investigating. No further information is yet available. (Maryanne Peckham, STRI, via telefax from Capt. Steve Alscher, RAD/SERO).
A reenactment of the Civil War battle of Murfreesboro, billed as the largest reenactment of 1993, took place on Corps of Engineers property about ten miles from the park during the weekend of March 5th through the 7th. Three rangers and an ENPMA employee from other parks were called in to Stones River to assist with expected crowds. Events scheduled for Friday were canceled due to mud, so many of the reenactors visited the park; many others stopped by on Sunday and Monday. Over 3,000 vehicles entered the park between the 4th and 8th and there were 3,300 visits to the visitor center. Organizers at the reenactment said that about 7,000 reenactors and 18,000 spectators attended the event over the weekend. [STRI, 3/9]
While on routine patrol around 9:40 p.m. yesterday evening, a Rutherford County deputy came upon a sexual assault in progress at the site of General Rosecrans' headquarters. M.A., 23, was arrested and charged with aggravated rape. His victim, who was taken to a local hospital, told officers that M.A. had held a knife to her throat during the assault. The FBI has been notified. [Betty Cook, STRI, 9/10]
Nick Romer, 45, of Antioch, Tennessee, an experienced horseman, suffered a broken femur and pelvis when his horse fell on him during an interpretive cavalry program in the park on July 29th. He was taken to the Vanderbilt University hospital by a local EMS unit. The horse was not injured. Romer is a member of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, a reenactment unity which presents programs at the park on one weekend each summer. [CR, STRI]
Maintenance worker Deon Maynard, 26, was killed in a three-car accident in Murfreesboro on Monday, October 11th. He was a passenger in one of the vehicles. Two other people were injured in the crash, which is still being investigated. Deon was born in Anguilla in the British West Indies and was raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He enrolled in the Great Onyx Job Corps Center at Mammoth Cave and joined the Park Service as a maintenance worker at Tuskegee Institute NHS in June, 1999. Deon transferred to Stones River in December, 1999. He is survived by his wife, T., and a daughter, J.-U., age four. Final arrangements are pending. [Submitted by Paul Winegar, Regional Public Affairs Officer] Great Smoky Mountains National Park On October 3rd, dispatch received information that a man at the Clingman's Dome trail was in respiratory distress. Cherokee Tribal EMS and rangers responded. Ranger Melody Morrison was first on scene and found visitor J.B., 45, in severe respiratory distress. Within minutes, J.B. collapsed and went into full arrest. Morrison began CPR, assisted by an off-duty nurse. Rangers Kirby Styles and Joe Pond soon joined her and employed an AED and airway management techniques. One shock was advised and applied with successful results, leading to effective resuscitation. Shortly thereafter, J.B. was flown by LifeStar helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he is recovering. It is believed that rapid defibrillation was the key to J.B.'s
survival.
A tornado struck the area on Friday afternoon, causing damage and fatalities in nearby Murfreesboro but - except for trees - largely sparing the park. All employees are accounted for and okay. Minor damage has been reported to one seasonal employee's home, but he is being taken care of. All park structures reportedly escaped damage, but there are large numbers of fallen trees throughout the park - numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands. A comprehensive damage assessment will be undertaken this week. [Mark Ruggiero, Bill Reynolds, SERO] HYPERLINK "http://www.waaytv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10166297"
A Southeast Region assessment team arrived at the park yesterday and determined that a Type 3 incident management team will handle the emergency response to the tornado, which occurred on Friday, April 10th. Wayne Elliott, chief ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park, is the incident commander. The team is working on a delegation of authority and hopes to have it approved today. The team expects the emergency response to the incident to take two weeks. [Gib Backlund, Chief of Operations]
The Type 3 IMT (Wayne Elliott, IC) that's been charged with overseeing the park's recovery from last week's tornado is currently building up its organization. Logistics section chief Rich Caldwell and operations section chief John Ashcraft, both from Mammoth Cave, and the Natchez Trace fire module, led by Shawn Nagle, arrived on April 15th. Plans section chief Bob Gray, retired from the Appalachian Trail, safety officer Jeff Galloway, AD from Big South Fork, and supply unit leader Ted Messenger, retired from Mammoth Cave, arrived on April 16th. The FMSS assessment team continued to estimate costs yesterday, and two archeologists from the Southeast Archeological Center began assessing the Hazen Monument area. They discovered artifacts dating to the Archaic period. Additional resources were expected to arrive yesterday evening and today. Portions of the park - including the tour road, the Hazen Brigade Monument, and the boundary trail - remain closed to the public. The national cemetery opened yesterday, as did the quarter-mile-long Pioneer Brigade trail near the visitor center. Other areas are open and include the McFadden Farm unit, Fortress Rosecrans, Redoubt Brannan, and the generals' headquarters sites. [Gib Backlund, Chief of Operations]
The Type 3 incident management team (Wayne Elliott, IC) charged with managing the tornado recovery operation is now in place. Two more team members arrived on Saturday - Mammoth Cave automotive mechanic Bobby Sanders will maintain equipment and Pictured Rocks chief ranger Tim Colyer will serve as a safety officer trainee. The archeologists from the Southeast Archeological Center have completed their assessment of disturbed areas and departed. Crews cleared downed limbs and branches, removed hazard trees and snags, and made great progress. A local Civil Air Patrol group volunteered to help and picked up fence rails and trash in a couple of the agricultural fields in the park. The Salvation Army sent a mobile canteen to the park and provided lunch for everyone working on the incident. Portions of the park, including the tour road, the Hazen Brigade Monument, and the boundary trail, remain closed to the public. The visitor center, national cemetery, the quarter-mile-long Pioneer Brigade trail, the McFadden Farm unit, Fortress Rosecrans, Redoubt Brannan, and the generals' headquarters sites remain open. [Gib Backlund, Chief of Operations]
Members of the Type 3 IMT (Wayne Elliott, IC) continue to clear downed limbs, remove hazard trees and snags, and otherwise return the park to normal operating condition. Crews from Great Smoky Mountains, Natchez Trace, and Big South Fork continued chipping operations on the tour road on Tuesday. Members of the Natchez Trace fire module cleared down trees on the boundary trail along with park staff. Blustery winds were a factor on Tuesday, but drying conditions prevailed and all crews made excellent progress. The boundary trail is now open for administrative use. There was one near miss incident involving a chainsaw that's being investigated by the safety team. The crew member was wearing full personal protective equipment and as was therefore not injured. A rental track hoe has arrived and will be used to remove large trees from the cotton field trail, supported by a dump truck and operator from Mammoth Cave and a chipper and operator from Fort Donelson. Joe McGrogan, deputy director of Fentress County Emergency Management Agency near Big South Fork, is on scene to see how a Type 3 organization operates. Portions of the park - including the tour road, the Hazen Brigade Monument and the boundary trail - remain closed to the public. The visitor center, national cemetery, the quarter-mile Pioneer Brigade trail, the McFadden Farm unit, Fortress Rosecrans, Redoubt Brannan, and the generals' headquarters sites remain open. [Gib Backlund, Chief of Operations] Monday, July 10, 1995 A rape was reported at the General Bragg headquarters site at 3 a.m. on the morning of July 7th. A suspect has been identified and is being interviewed by the FBI. The U.S. attorney's office has not yet determined if he will be charged. The Bragg headquarters site is a half acre tract of exclusive jurisdiction located a mile from the main section of the park. [Gib Backlund, CR, STRI]
On January 16, all areas of the park closed. The park reopened on January 23, though water service was not functioning. The visitor center and museum were expected to reopen on January 24 or later, pending temporary restroom availability. Source: Stones River National Battlefield (1/16, 1/23)
On February 18, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace announced it would be closed the following day due to Winter Storm Kingston. Additionally, Mammoth Cave and Stones River announced they would delay opening on the 19th due to the storm. Source: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Mammoth Cave National Park, Stones River National Battlefield
Several parks had short-term closures due to winter storms and freezing conditions. They have all since reopened. Source: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mammoth Cave National Park, Stones River National Battlefield | |