(above photo from news partner WMSR, Dennis Weaver) This shows the wreckage of the 18-wheeler on I-24.
A wreck on I-24 has seriously injured two T-DOT workers and shutdown westbound lanes at the Rutherford - Coffee County line for several hours.
It all started around 11:15 Thursday morning (9/4/2014) with a series of crashes along a 2-mile stretch of westbound I-24 (toward Nashville). That was between mile markers 93 and 95.
Almost two-hours later, a Tennessee Department of Transportation truck was traveling to help mowing crews near the Beachgrove exit. They saw the traffic jam and stopped, turned-on their emergency lights and were directing taffic around the two-miles of wrecks. Suddenly, a big rig went off the roadway, jack-knifed and slammed into the T-DOT truck. Both the trailer truck and T-DOT emergency rig slammed into a rock embankment on the interstate (photo below).
54-year old Tony Hayworth and 50-year old David Shelton, the two T-DOT workers who were directing traffic, were seriously injured when that happened. LifeFlight's air ambulance rushed them to the Vanderbilt Trauma Center.
63-year old William C. Gardner, driver of the big rig, was not seriously injured. THP troopers conducting the investigation indicate they have not found any evidence of drugs or alcohol.
I-24 westbound was re-opened Thursday night, but the investigation continues. WGNS News will keep you informed.