All drivers involved in a series of five rear-end collisions on U.S. 11E in Mosheim on Monday morning told investigating officers that their vision was obscured by "the rising sun," accident reports indicate.

A report filed by Deputy Sheriff Kevin Guinn said he was dispatched at 7:26 a.m. Monday to a report of an accident with injuries on U.S. 11E near Pottertown Road.

While enroute, according to his report, he heard 911 reporting several other accidents in that area.

When Guinn reached the area of "Big Ridge" on U.S. 11E in Mosheim, according to his report, he found "five separate crashes involving 13 vehicles" in the eastbound traffic lanes of U.S. 11E.

While checking the traffic accidents for injured drivers and passengers, he encountered one accident involving three vehicles near the intersection of 11E and Forest Road.

In that crash, he found that a 2000 Nissan driven by Mildred J. Buchanan, of Talbot, had slowed for an earlier accident and had been rear-ended by a 1996 Oldsmobile driven by Vick Roberts, 58, of Bean Station, Tenn., after Roberts' vehicle was rear-ended by a 1998 Buick driven by Thomas R. Reedy, 77, of Carpenters Chapel Road.

All drivers, according to Guinn's report, said their visibility of the road ahead had "dropped to near zero in an instant" due to the rising sun.

The report said Oldsmobile driver Roberts was transported from the scene by a Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services ambulance to Takoma Regional Hospital.

The other drivers, Roberts' passenger, Nena Roberts, 51, and Reedy's passenger, Thomas S. Reedy, 16, escaped injury, according to the report.

A second accident took place at 7:27 a.m. Monday on U.S. 11E about 600 feet east of Forest Road, according to a report filed by Deputy Sheriff Mike Shipley.

That four-vehicle wreck took place when eastbound traffic slowed for an earlier accident and "because drivers' vision was obscured by the sun," according to Deputy Shipley's report.

As traffic slowed, a 1998 Chevrolet Malibu driven by David A. Nester, 50, of Jefferson City, was rear-ended by a 1985 Chevrolet Blazer driven by Andrew D. McWaters, 27, of Chester, S.C.

That collision took place after McWaters' vehicle was rear-ended by a 1997 Mitsubishi Montero driven by Brent A. Potter, 41, of West Hills Drive, Mosheim.

Potter's Montero had been rear-ended by a 2007 Honda Pilot driven by Carla L. Ramsey, 43, of West Hills Drive, Mosheim, the report said.

A passenger in one of the vehicles, Justus Hopkins, 61, of Weems Chapel Lane, Bulls Gap, was injured and transported to Takoma Regional Hospital by an EMS ambulance, according to Deputy Shipley's report.

All other drivers in the four-vehicle crash escaped injury the report said.

At 7:51 a.m. Monday, according to a report filed by Deputy Sheriff Roy Milton, another accident took place on U.S. 11E about a quarter-mile west of Pecan Ridge Road.

Deputy Milton's report said no one was injured when a 2008 Toyota Prius driven by Frank Hardison, 68, of Kodak, Tenn., rear-ended a 1997 Subaru Outback driven by Glen T. Lemart, 65, of Pottertown Road, Midway.

Both drivers told officers that their vision was obscured by the sun.

Sheriff's Sgt. Earl Mysinger indicated investigated two more traffic crashes in the same area on Monday morning.

One accident occurred at 7:53 a.m., according to his report.

In that crash, a 1998 Nissan driven by Sean M. Neas, 37, of Chuckey Highway, Chuckey, had slowed, or stopped for an earlier accident, when it was hit from behind by a 1998 Kia sedan driven by Kimberly D. Ramey, 42, of Old Stage Road.

The report indicated that both drivers escaped injury and that "both drivers said their vision was severely obstructed by the rising sun."

A second report filed by Mysinger indicated that another accident took place at 7:54 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 11E about a half-mile east of Forest Road.

In that collision, the report said, a 1993 Nissan driven by Misty Denton, 30, of Moonlight Court, Midway, had stopped for traffic and was rear-ended by a 2007 Chevrolet pickup driven by Tiffanie A. Fillers, 32, of Morristown.

Both drivers and four passengers in the two vehicles escaped injury, according to the accident report.

The drivers involved told officers that their vision was obscured by the rising soon.