MARYVILLE, TN — A Blount County corrections officer and another man were injured today in a grinding crash on U.S. Highway 321 East near Heritage High School.

Identities of the injured were not immediately released, but the crash shut down traffic on the divided highway as rescue workers, law enforcement officers and medical personnel worked under an oppressive sun to extricate the victims from their vehicles.

There was heavy damage to the front ends of both the automobile and the truck involved.

The corrections officer was driving the truck and was taken away from the scene via Rural/Metro ambulance.

The victim in the auto was initially pinned in the vehicle and was rescued when Blount County Fire Department personnel using a mechanical prying device to force the door open. The victim was then flown from the scene by Lifestar, which had landed in the southbound lanes of the highway for the pickup.