The Tennessee Highway Patrol said one person died Wednesday morning in a crash on northbound I-81 in Blountville after a tractor trailer left the interstate and plummeted off a bridge.
THP said the driver of a FedEx truck died after the tractor trailer left Interstate 81 northbound and landed on Highway 394 in Blountville.
The second passenger was in the sleeping compartment of the rig when the crash occurred. He was alert and talking with investigators but is listed in critical condition, the THP said.
The names of those involved in the crash have not been released.
WBIR's sister station News 5 WCYB in southeast Virginia received the following statement from a spokesperson at FedEx:
“Our thoughts are with the individuals involved in the accident in Blountville, Tennessee, this morning. Safety is our highest priority and we are cooperating fully with investigating authorities at this time.”
Preliminary information from the THP says the rig was traveling northbound when the driver lost control, entered and exited the median before the 18-wheeler dropped onto Highway 394. The officer told News 5 that the cab of the rig was completely destroyed in the crash.
The patrolman also said that the FedEx truck had two personnel on board and was returning to Pennsylvania after making a stop in Nashville.
