Westbound lanes of I-24 near Almaville Road (70  mile marker, going toward Nashville) were shut down Sunday morning as the result of a deadly crash.

Reports indicate that the early Sunday morning crash occurred at 3:40AM when an SUV went into the median. Eyewitnesses told authorities that the driver apparently over-corrected and the vehicle overturned several times. The 2003 Chevy Tahoe finally stopped upright, but the female passenger was ejected. 

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Kasey Fitts said that Kathleen M. Davenport was deceased when the first emergency responder arrived. The 56-year old woman was from Murfreesboro and was a passenger in the SUV.

The vehicle was driven by Blake Rutledge of Rockvale. The 31-year old male was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to the Vanderbilt Trauma Center.

Troopers detoured traffic for several hours, but the interstate was cleared in the morning hours--long before the heavy traffic of the Great Tennessee Airshow in Smyrna. 

Trooper Fitts noted that the medical examiner has been notified and that blood was taken from both parties so that tests could be made. No citations were issued, but criminal charges are pending once the complete investigation is completed. 

In another Sunday morning crash, this one on I-24 eastbound (toward Chattanooga), three persons were treated for non-life threatening injuries when their vehicle rolled off the roadway.