Food City Expresses Sorrow At Death Of Employee In Crash

Updated to include Amber Mitchell was an employee of Food City.

The parent company of Food City is expressing sorrow over the deaths of employee Amber Mitchell and her father, Alan, who were killed in a crash at the store on Saturday morning.

“We are deeply saddened over Saturday’s tragic loss of one of our beloved Oak Ridge, TN Food City teammates, Amber Mitchell, and her father Alan. Our team is heartbroken, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Mitchell family during this devastating time,” reads the statement on the Food City’s Facebook page. The post was made around 4 p.m. Monday. Food City is owned by K-V-A-T Food Stores Inc.

Alan Mitchell, of Oak Ridge and his 17-year-old daughter Amber – a senior at Oak Ridge High School – were killed Saturday morning when the vehicle they were in crashed into that Food City grocery store in Oak Ridge. Their identities were announced by Oak Ridge police in a news release issued late Sunday.

Alan Mitchell, 66, was driving a vehicle northbound on South Rutgers Avenue near Manhattan Avenue around 8:55 a.m. Saturday when the vehicle left the road and hit the nearby Food City, according to Oak Ridge police. He died at the scene.

His daughter, Amber Mitchell, a passenger in the vehicle, was injured and taken to a local hospital. She died after ariving at the hospital.

Two people were killed when the vehicle they were in struck the Food City Oak Ridge building, 1199 Oak Ridge Turnpike, on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025.

The police are still investigating the crash and are releasing no additional information at this time. Autopsies are being done on the father and daughter.

Several inches of snow had fallen in Oak Ridge Friday and Saturday morning.

Amber was an ORHS senior. A message has been sent out to ORHS families telling them of her death and offering counseling through Ridgeview at the high school from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday – even though the schools are closed because of wintry weather conditions. Additional counselors will also be on site at the high school for the rest of the week, according to the information families received. In addition, the school system’s partner Care Solace can help families find community therapists.

“There is no greater tragedy than the death of a young person, and we offer our sincere condolences and continued support to the family and loved ones affected,” the school message to families stated.

The Oak Ridger’s News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on Twitter@ridgernewsed.

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