Bicyclist Fatality in Cades Cove

North Carolina Man Dies in Cades Cove Bicycle Accident

Park officials say a man died as a result of a single-bicycle accident on Sunday in Cades Cove.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers responded to a report of a bicycle accident in Cades Cove at 10:58 a.m. on Sunday, August 16, 2020.

The cyclist, 60-year-old Harold D. Pardue from Elkin, N.C., suffered severe head trauma and was unconscious following the single-bicycle accident that occurred on a downhill section of the Cades Cove Loop Road. Pardue was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Park rangers provided critical care at the scene of the accident for approximately 30 minutes before American Medical Response (AMR) emergency responders transported Pardue by ambulance to a landing zone. Mountain Area Medical Airlift then transported him to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. 

Pardue passed away as a result of these injuries the following day.

No additional details are available at this time.

Photo: Famartin / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)