Macon Man Dies in Double Fatality
A Macon County man and a Gainesboro man are dead following a head-on crash Sunday morning, February 5th, on Hwy. 53 in Jackson County.

According to crash investigator THP Sgt. Ashley Mercer, 34-year-old Ashley Newberry of Lafayette, was driving west in a 2012 Chevrolet van on Highway 53 in Jackson County and 51-year-old James Meadows, of Gainesboro, was traveling east in a 2012 Freight Liner tractor trailer.
“For some reason, Newberry’s van crossed into the east bound lane and collided head-on with the tractor trailer on the driver’s side area of each vehicle,” said Sgt. Mercer. “After the crash, the vehicles separated and the van came to final rest off the north side of the roadway facing south. The tractor trailer ran off the south side of the road and then crossed back over, coming to final rest facing north with the vehicle completely covering the highway.”
“Both drivers died in the 8 a.m. crash,” said Sgt. Mercer.
Funeral services for Ashley W. Newberry, will be conducted Tuesday afternoon, February 7, 2017, at 1 p.m. from the chapel of Anderson & Son Funeral Home in Red Boiling Springs. Interment will follow in the Anderson & Son Memorial Park.