Highway 9 North near Blackwells Crossroads was completely shut down for more than two hours Monday night as emergency crews worked a single vehicle accident.

A motorist flagged down Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeremy Stepps, who just happened to be traveling through the area at that time – and informed him that an accident had occurred.

The vehicle, a 2006 Nissan left the roadway near Blackwell’s Crossroads and traveled down a small embankment, flipping over onto its top and landing in the lake.

At that point Deputy Stepps, Deputy Tyler Perea, Reserve Deputy Hunter Brisendine Centre Police Officer Daniel Wooten, Cedar Bluff Officer Chris Vaughn and a Gaylesville Firefighter all went into the frigid water, flipped the vehicle upright and then pulled the driver to the shoulder of the road, where they began CPR until Cherokee EMS Medics arrived.

The driver, 23 year old Kayla Silver of Leesburg, was taken to Cherokee Medical Center and then airlifted to an area trauma center.

Rescue personnel spent well over an hour searching the waters for other potential victims, however it was determined that no one else was in the vehicle at the time the accident took place.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar Bluff Police, Centre Police, Cherokee EMS, the Cherokee County Rescue Squad and both the Centre and Cedar Bluff Fire Departments all responded to the scene, in addition to Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Officers.

According to the accident report, that wreck occurred at 9:05pm.