I-40 Crash in Jefferson County

I-40 Crash in Jefferson County, TN, October 2, 2013 – Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

An afternoon crash at I-40 mile marker 423 has left multiple fatalities and injuries. According to information from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, a chartered bus was traveling eastbound on I-40 when it suffered a blown left front tire, causing the bus to cross the median and clip a westbound Tahoe before striking a tractor trailer truck. The charter bus, carrying 18 passengers, overturned and the tractor trailer caught fire. Though early reports suggested that the bus was a school bus, it has been confirmed that it was a charter bus from Statesville, North Carolina. It has been reported, but not confirmed, that the charter bus was returning from a church trip to the Gatlinburg area. Six of the passengers on the bus, one of three passengers in the SUV and the driver of the tractor trailer truck are listed as fatalities. Four people were transported by air and eight by ground to hospitals. Of the twenty two people involved in the accident, twenty were either listed as fatalities or transported to the hospital with various degrees of injury.

Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

Traffic was rerouted at the I-40/I-81 split eastbound and mile marker 432 westbound. First Responders were on the scene and mutual aid was called in to provide assistance. Information on the number of fatalities was current as of 4:30 pm and will be updated if more information becomes available.