KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — An equipment failure and improperly loaded cargo are being blamed for a crash involving a semi-truck that was hauling rolls of paper and struck interstate signage on I-275 last week, a Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security report stated.
According to the report, around 3:20 p.m. on Friday, June 5, officers responded to the multivehicle crash on I-275 near the exit for Woodland and Oldham.
Fentanyl, methamphetamine seized in ATF raid of Knoxville home
Based on their investigation, officers believe that a semi-truck driving on the inside lane of I-275 South experienced an equipment failure while navigating a curve and began losing its cargo of multiple large rolls of brown paper over the median divider. The truck also began to tip, causing it to rip down interstate signage and the signage support that spanned the width of I-275 South. The signage being pulled down caused several spots of damage to the asphalt, the report said.
The semi-truck driver was able to steer the vehicle away from the median divider and came to a stop on the shoulder and grass near the southbound exit.
As the rolls of paper went over the median, a Toyota Prius, a Ford Mustang, and a 2016 Kia Sorrento on I-275 North were damaged by the paper and other debris, the report said. Two of the vehicles were still drivable and came to a stop north of where the crash happened, but the Kia was disabled and stopped near the crash scene. The driver of the Kia was taken to UT Medical Center by an AMR ambulance with possible injuries the report said.
Who is ‘Chicken Leg’? Knoxville Police searching for witnesses of 2019 unsolved murder
The report does not list any charges against the driver of the semi-truck, although it does note the truck was improperly loaded…