Ohio Man Sentenced In 2021 Crash

An Ohio man who drove his car into an embankment on the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge spur nearly two years ago, killing one of his passengers, will spend time in prison. 20 year old Bryce Allen Axline of Columbus, Ohio was sentenced in US federal court in Knoxville Friday to 65 months in prison after being found guilty of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. On the night of June 7, 2021, an intoxicated Bryce Axline was driving recklessly when he crashed his car into an embankment on the Spur. His two female passengers, both 19 years of age, were seriously injured during the crash. One victim suffered life-altering injuries, and the other victim died from her injuries shortly after the accident. Axline himself was injured in the crash but was released from the hospital the next day. Based on an analysis of the vehicle’s air bag module, the National Park Service determined that the vehicle Axline was driving was fully accelerated and traveling at 90 miles per hour just seconds before that accident occurred. After his time in prison, Axline will be on 3 years of probation. He was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution.