One killed as crash near Bristol Tennessee

A person was killed and two others were injured in an Interstate 81 collision involving a car and tractor-trailer near Exit 74A that shut down the roadway for more than three hours.A Toyota Camry was traveling southbound on the interstate when the car made contact with the rig. The car was pinned between a concrete barrier divider and the 18-wheeler when the vehicles came to a rest just outside the overpass bridges at the exit.

An elderly couple could be seen inside the car at the scene of the crash as first responders with the Bristol, Tenn., Fire Department and Bristol Life Saving Crew began to remove them from the wreckage.The force of impact of the tractor-trailer’s cab against one of the bridge’s large concrete piers on the southbound side was also evident. The cab of the large truck beginning at the driver’s side over was ripped opened and destroyed by the impact. The driver’s seat was found lying in the second lane of the southbound side of the highway along with a large amount of debris that was ripped from the outside of the rig and from inside the truck.
The truck, which was loaded with tires, is owned by Big G Express of Shelbyville, Tenn., according to identifying logos and markings on the truck.

An eyewitness who did not want to be identified said that a body was lying in the roadway after the truck’s impact with the bridge.Sgt. Paul Mooneyham of the Tennessee Highway Patrol confirmed that a person was ejected and then struck by a vehicle traveling southbound. The officer did not release the names of the deceased or others involved in the crash.
A THP reconstruction team was brought in from Knoxville to help investigate the crash. Mooneyham said the interstate had to remain closed for an extended period because of the size of the investigation scene that had to be processed.
The Bristol, Tenn., Police Department diverted traffic in both directions off onto U.S. Highway 11W and then back onto Interstate 81.