Hi-res stringer video download
KNOX COUNTY E911 SCANNER
MAJOR ACCIDENT
08/23/11 17:57 (FARRAGUT - KCFD RESCUE OPS) RMFD BATT 21 REQUESTING LIFESTAR AIR EVAC. COS FIGHTING TRAILER FIRE CARGO IS TABLE SALT [TEN021]
MAJOR ACCIDENT
08/23/11 17:44 (FARRAGUT - 155.955) E-244 ON SCENE WITH 1 SEMI OVERTURNED AND FULLY INVOLVED. ADDTL EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES RESPONSE REQUESTED. I40 SHUT DWN [TEN014]
HAZMAT
08/23/11 15:22 (KNOXVILLE - KFD T/G 2) KFD HAZMAT 18 HAS A LARGE FLAMABLE LIQUID SPILL. FREEWAY CLOSED. REQUEST 3 TONS OF SAND FOR ABSORBANT [TEN021]
UPDATE: Tractor-trailer driver arrested, may be charged for I-40 crash, fire -- But no arrest, no charges for trucker who murdered biker on the Dragon Heck, Knoxville even renamed I-140 to honor the convicted hit-and-run killer of a biker tourist.
Update: One WB lane reopened following fiery I-40 crash
KNOXVILLE, TENN. -- One westbound lane of I-40 near the Watt Road exit was re-opened late Tuesday night following a tractor trailer crash that sent three people to the hospital. All eastbound lanes were open.
THP troopers said after the two tractor trailers crashed around 6:30 p.m. Debris from one of the vehicles hit a separate pick-up truck that was driving nearby. One tractor trailer caught fire as a result of the crash.
Ambulances took three people to hospitals; the driver of one of the tractor trailers and two in the truck were taken to UT Medical Center.
At last check-- two patients were in critical condition and one was stable condition.
Meanwhile, troopers were looking for a white tractor trailer with a red "M" on it that may be responsible for the accident.
"He did go westbound at last sight. We did have some witnesses and they're working with troopers on scene right now," said THP trooper Sgt. Randall Martin.
While crews were dealing with the crash, drivers were dealing with a large traffic back-up that included I-40 as well as Kingston Pike, since drivers were trying to avoid the mess on the interstate.
"We were sitting there for about half an hour and then people started coming back, the other way in the breakdown lane to get out and find another route," said driver Jeff Nation.
THP is investigating this crash. No word if the other tractor trailer has been found.
Update 8:30 pm I-40 is still shut down west of Watt Road as crews work to put out and clean up after a fiery crash. Traffic is being diverted off the interstate onto Kingston Pike and Pellissippi Parkway.
According to Kim Sepesi with Rural/Metro, they received a report of a semi hitting a truck and turning over at 6:31 pm.
The Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad responded to help extricate at least one victim from the wreckage. Three patients were transported to the hospital, there is no word on their conditions, though one of them was a burn victim.
Update 7:25 pm: According to Sgt Randall Martin with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the crash involved a tractor trailer that may have been hauling salt and a passenger vehicle. At least one patient was pinned in the wreckage, which did catch fire. The accident also took out a portion of the retaining wall at the 370.2 mile marker.
Previous story
All lanes of Interstate 40 east of Watt Road are closed because of a tractor trailer accident.
The accident was reported at 6:30 pm in the westbound lanes. According to TDOT's website, there is a fire associated with the accident. Smoke could be seen rising from the scene of the accident.
Knox County dispatchers say they have no word on any injuries, but UT's Lifestar medical helicopter has been sent to the scene, as well as several ambulances.
Traffic is backed up in both directions. Westbound interstate traffic is being diverted on to Watt Road and to Kingston Pike.
A 10News viewer, Kelly White of Greenback, witnessed the accident and sent in a picture. He says "The truck burst into flames as soon as it hit the median, which happened right in front of me. I pray the driver is ok."
See also:
THP Hit and Run Video: Fiery crash shuts down I-40/75 at Watt Road
Driver of rig involved in fiery I-40/75 crash found in Crab Orchard
KNOXVILLE, TENN. -- A North Carolina truck driver is charged in connection with the fiery crash that shut down Interstate 40/75 on Tuesday night and sent three people to area hospitals.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol identified the suspect Wednesday as Eugene Moore, 42, of Charlotte, N.C., who is being held in Knox County in lieu of $5,000 bond on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident with injury, according to jail records.
Other charges are pending, said THP Sgt. Randall Martin.
Moore was found at a Cumberland County rest stop about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, some three hours after the crash near Watt Road. A trooper spotted damage to Moore's rig that was consistent with witnesses' descriptions, Martin said.
The Tuesday crash occurred when Moore allegedly sideswiped another westbound tractor-trailer on I-40/75, said THP Lt. Jessie Brooks.
"Apparently, they made contact, forcing one truck into the retaining wall," Brooks said. "The guy stopped, saw what kind of a mess he'd caused and got back in and drove off."
The rig carrying salt "was fully engulfed in flames," said Brooks, and closed all lanes of the interstate in both directions for more than an hour.
The driver of the burning rig was able to escape the wreckage [with help from other truckers], but he suffered severe burns, Brooks said. The unidentified driver was flown to Vanderbilt Burn Center in Nashville, where he was listed Wednesday in critical condition.
Debris from the wreckage also struck a passing pickup truck, injuring both its occupants, authorities said. Brandon Tiner, age unavailable, was listed in critical condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center on Wednesday. His passenger, Melissa Piet, age unavailable, was listed in stable condition. Both are from Richmond, Va.
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