Gatlinburg-Pittman athlete in critical condition after car crash

A former athlete at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School suffered serious injuries Sunday when he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed into a tree in Sevierville.

Boston Smith, 18, was listed in critical condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center on Tuesday evening.

Smith was driving a 2018 BMW X6 when he crashed about 1:35 a.m. Sunday, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The car was traveling west on Ernest McMahan Road when it entered a right-hand curve, crossed the center line and ran off the left side of the road, according to a preliminary THP report.

Smith's side of the car crashed into a tree. The car rotated "counter-clockwise approximately 180 degrees and came to final rest on the left side of the roadway," according to the report.

Smith had to be extricated from the car.

His passenger, 19-year-old Dawson Day, of Sevierville, suffered minor injuries.

The report says both Smith and Day had been drinking alcohol earlier, and "charges are pending upon speaking with the district attorney."

Smith played football and basketball at Gatlinburg-Pittman before he graduated last month.