Truck accident involving 4 vehicles kills 2

An accident reported at around 3 p.m. on a recent Friday in November resulted in at least one explosion and the death of three victims. The truck accident resulted in the closure of the westbound lanes of a Tennessee highway. The highway was only reopened at approximately 9:45 p.m. the same evening, after seven hours of work by the clean-up crews.

According to official reports, the driver of a semi truck, without a trailer, moved over into the oncoming traffic. It has not been determined why he crossed the middle of the highway into the westbound traffic. First, he struck a sedan driven by a 50-year-old female. The impact sent the car flying through the air and then rolling before ending up on the side of the road.

After striking the sedan, the semi truck hit a second vehicle, a tractor-trailer, head on. The second semi truck was carrying other vehicles. Both the trucks came to a standstill and then caught on fire, leading to multiple explosions, according to eyewitnesses. Another vehicle struck some of the debris lying in the road, after the driver maneuvered to miss the two semi trucks.  

Both the 44-year-old driver of the truck which caused the accident, the second truck driver, a 60-year-old male, and the female driver of the sedan died at the accident scene. A 66-year-old passenger with the deceased  female driver was seriously injured, He was transported by air to a medical center in the area. Both the driver and passenger of the fourth vehicle escaped injury.

The truck accident is currently under investigation. Should the investigation prove that driver negligence was the root cause of the accident, Tennessee law allows for the legal estates of the deceased victims, as well as the seriously injured victim, to institute civil claims against the estate of the negligent driver.  Financial damages may be awarded to the victims of the accident in successfully litigated claims.

Source: wbir.com, “Victims identified in fatal I-40 crash“, Nov. 12, 2016