Three-vehicle pileup

LISA HOBBS

News Editor

In what feels like déjà vu, distracted driving was likely the cause of a wreck with injury this morning at the intersection of Faulkner Springs Road and Sparta Highway.

McMinnville Police Department Patrolman Brian Holt stated, “The driver said he looked up, saw the vehicle and didn’t have enough time to stop.”

The driver, Timothy Schaper, 78, was traveling westbound in a 2010 Nissan Maxima when traffic in front of him slowed and came to a stop at a red light at the intersection. Failing to stop, he struck a 2018 Kia Niro driven by Chris Stockton, 57. Stockton’s vehicle moved forward and struck a box truck being hauled by a 2021 Ford F-150 and driven by Jonathan Bean, 24.  

According to statistics from the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security, there were 12,037 crashes involving distracted drivers in Tennessee in 2025. Of those, 71 occurred in Warren County. In 2024, there were 12,111 and 59 of those in this county.

The only injury reported was by Stockton, who was transported by Warren County EMS to Ascension Saint Thomas River Park for treatment of unknown injuries.

Schaper was cited for following too closely.