Ice Storms Cause Multiple Truck Crashes on Tennessee Highways

Ice storms made driving dangerous on Tennessee highways Friday, with multiple crashes reported on [...]

Ice storms made driving dangerous on Tennessee highways Friday, with multiple crashes reported on social media. One crash reportedly involved 16 tractor trailers and eight passenger vehicles.

A Facebook user posted photos of a major crash on I-40, near mile marker 119 in the westbound lane. "I had front row seats," he wrote. "16 semis and 8 passenger vehicles."

WKRN also posted a video of the scene, adding that no one was hurt.

WKRN reports that the crash was reported at around 12:30 p.m. near Natchez Trace State Park in Henderson County. By that time, the icy road was covered with snow. One of the trucks involved was a Tennessee Department of Transportation Help truck.

Westbound traffic was completely closed while crews worked to clear the crash. It was expected to reopen by 5 p.m. and has backed up traffic for miles.

Other crashes on Tennessee highways were reported. Police told WKRN that at least 10 cars were involved in a crash at around 1:30 p.m. on the I-65 South overpass off-ramp to Ellington Parkway after it froze over. At least three people were taken to a nearby hospital.

In an incident in White House, a semi carrying two trailers slipped off an overpass, causing officials to close off one lane.

Tennessee officials have advised residents not to drive because of the hazardous weather. Much of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky are under winter storm advisories or warnings through Saturday morning. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam also closed state offices in many Middle and West Tennessee counties.

Fox 17 reported that the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) is at a Level 4-elevated state of operations. That means they now have 24-hour watch staff in the operations center.

Areas of West and Middle Tennessee are expected to get one to three inches of snow, with higher accumulations near the Kentucky border.

The winter storm hitting Tennessee is part of a line of extreme weather that extends as far north as New England. According to the National Weather Service, snow is likely to continue falling in the Nashville area until early Saturday morning. It will be partly sunny during the day, with a high at 28 degrees.

Photo credit: Facebook/ Jason Arrington

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