The Tennessee Highway Patrol has released the names of the two men killed in a fatal crash Wednesday morning (5/29/2019) in rural Rutherford County. The driver was Joel Throneberry of Hermitage and Donnie Robertson of Mt. Juliet was the passenger.

The Rutherford County Sheriffs Office received the 911 call from a homeowner who saw the wrecked 2008 Ford Crown Victoria sedan at the end of her driveway.

The first on-the-scene was a deputy from the sheriffs office who said both men were unresponsive.

The fatal crash occurred at 5333 Weakley Lane, which is a few hundred feet from the Almaville Volunteer Fire Station #3, and about 2-miles past the Fate Sanders Recreation Area. It was in a curvy stretch of the narrow two-lane roadway.

According to Highway Patrol Lt. Travis Plotzer, the Crown Vic sedan went off the right side of Weakley Lane, at a point where the road curved left. The Ford continued moving forward before coming to a sudden stop when it slammed into a culvert. The report indicates that the driver apparently lost control of the car.

The posted speed limit was 45 mph.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol crash report indicated that the 57 year old driver (Joel Throneberry) was wearing a seat belt, however his 61 year old passenger (Donnie Robertson) was not. The trooper noted that the outcome of the crash would likely not have been different if both men had been belted.

Statistics from the Rutherford County Sheriffs Office show there have been 403 vehicle crashes on Weakley Lane since 2014.