Madisonville, TN : 1 killed & 9 others injured after SUV blows 2 tires in Tennessee on Sunday, July 12, 2015

A Birmingham toddler was killed and nine others injured in Tennessee Sunday evening after two tires on their SUV blew, and the vehicle flipped before catching on fire.

The crash happened at 5:25 p.m. on Interstate 75 just inside Monroe County, said Tennessee trooper spokesman Lt. Bill Miller. Nikayla Oliver, a 2-year-old girl, was killed in the crash. She was not wearing a seat belt or riding in any kind of child restraint seat.

Authorities said there were 10 people ranging in ages from 2 to 43 inside the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. Five of the passengers were ages 16 or under. The SUV was traveling southbound in the left on I-75 when it ran over the rumble strips. Rumble strips are grooves in the roadway or rows of raised pavement markers placed on the side of the roadway that produce a noise and vibration if a vehicle veers off the road.

The rear left tire blew out, and then the front right tire blew out, according to a trooper report. The Suburban crossed over into the slow lane, started to turn sideways and then went off the roadway into the grass. It struck a concrete culvert, and then flipped into a ditch finally coming to a rest on the passenger side. The SUV then caught fire.

All of those inside the SUV are from Birmingham. According to the trooper report, 37-year-old Shakita Counts was the driver and she was wearing a seat belt. None of the other nine people inside the SUV were using seat belts, which troopers noted in their report likely would have made a difference in their injuries.

All nine survivors were injured, but the severity of those injuries wasn't immediately available. The injured passengers are: Willie Antonion Reed, 25; Sherna Reed, 43; Eric Scales, 20; Shakita Coleman, 16; Tevia Denee Blanks, 20; Tiana Scales, 11; Michael Scales Jr., 14; and Jakiya Williams.

No charges have been filed in the crash, and the investigation is ongoing.

Source : Birmingham toddler killed, 9 others injured after SUV blows 2 tires in Tennessee