I-40 Wreck Shuts Down Traffic; Kills Cattle
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Officials said a wreck on Interstate 40 near mile marker 104 just before 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning injured two or three truck drivers and killed several cattle. “We had a crash involving four commercial vehicles,” said Sergeant Chris Hosick with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Witnesses said two of the commercial vehicles were not damaged but had to be towed from the side of the interstate after they drove off the road to avoid the crash. “It was like a movie being made,” said Ronald Hester, one of the drivers who avoided the accident. Hester said he witnessed the entire incident seconds before it occurred. “When I looked I saw the trailer fall then sparks jumped up off the ground and I said man that trailer has fallen over…I started hitting my brakes… and I started going over,” he adds. Hester said he believes the driver hauling cattle may have fallen asleep. Authorities said the driver hauling cattle drove into the median, over-corrected his turn and landed across the west-bound lane. Traveling approximately 65 miles per hour, Hester said a truck following the cattle hauler crashed into it , splitting the trailer apart. Authorities said more than 20 cattle were killed. Officers worked to capture more than 20 additional cattle released from the trailer. Officers said two or three of the drivers were injured in the crash, but reported no fatalities. “He (driver) must have jumped in the bed to save his life. The whole front seat, everything was thrown to the back,” said Hester.
