Deadly Tanker Truck Explosion On Interstate 65


One man was found dead at the scene of an accident on Interstate 65 in Tennessee. At approximately 3:40 am this morning, near the interstate exit Peytonsville Road, a tanker truck crashed.

“Somehow the tanker part got sideways and it hit the bridge with such force that it split in two,” Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman B.J. Doughty said about the interstate crash. “A piece traveled down the road and exploded.”

The truck was carrying unleaded gasoline and caused an explosion across the southbound lanes of the interstate.

“We heard two large bangs, and then we heard the fire. So we stepped out, and we saw the entire area just completely lit with flames,” a witness that lives near the interstate told WHNT.

Firefighters quickly controlled the flames, but both sides of the interstate remained closed for the majority of the day.

No other vehicles were involved in the interstate crash, and authorities have yet to understand what caused the tanker truck to crash.

“The most important thing to remember isn’t that this an inconvenience to motorists, it’s that someone lost a family member today because of this crash,” Sgt. Charles Warner reminded commuters about the interstate congestion.

There were two bridges in the area of the interstate fire. One bridge was reopened this afternoon, but the new bridge, which was being built, is going to have to be torn down due to structural issues.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation stated that the southbound lanes of the interstate would be closed for at least the weekend and the effected bridge could be closed for months.

According to Sgt. Charles Warner, “[T]his is going to take some time. We want to make sure that we do this right instead of fast. We definitely don’t want another tragedy. People’s lives are counting on us to make the right decisions, so we’re going to make sure that that’s done.”

The name of the man that died in the interstate accident was not released, but sources say he worked for Edwards Oil Company. And investigation into what caused the interstate accident is still ongoing.

There are detours in place for commuters that usually take the interstate on a day-to-day basis:

Going north: Avoid interstate congestion by getting on SR 840 and head to 431 and then Highway 96

Going south: Avoid blocked off portion of the interstate by taking Highway 96 to 431 to SR 840

[Image courtesy of Keith Williams Law Group]

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