KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A state-owned Ford F-350 sprayer truck hit and killed 61-year-old Donnie Brockwell under the I-40 bridge near Sutherland Avenue in West Knoxville, this July, an incident report shows.
After the incident, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation did not immediately release details about the crash or Brockwell's death. The employees involved, TDOT said, are back at work.
The incident report, obtained through an open records request from THP said on July 31, a TDOT sprayer truck was working under the bridge. The driver went around "what looked to be a sheet or mattress," then reversed and ran over Brockwell, the report said.
"There's a guy up here wrapped up in a sheet that we think one of my coworkers ran over," said a TDOT supervisor in a 911 call 10News received through an open records request. "He's not moving and like I said, there's blood on the sheets."
Brockwell's autopsy report said he died of a crush injury of torso with traumatic asphyxia. The medical examiner classified the death as an accident.
As is standard for our newsroom, 10News sent an email to THP requesting the preliminary crash report on July 31, without any response. We didn't receive a response to multiple emails until we sent an open records request to the agency in September.
"We offer our deepest condolences to Mr. Brockwell's family as they grieve this tremendous loss," said TDOT Community Relations Officer Mark Nagi, in an emailed response to a request for comment. "It is our understanding that this was a tragic accident."
Nagi provided TDOT's VEIRT Review Executive Summary in the same email. The TDOT review committee recommended "no further action" in response to the incident.
In a follow-up email, 10News asked Nagi if any of the employees involved were disciplined.
"There have been no disciplinary actions toward the people involved because this was, per the THP report, an accident," Nagi said. "Our workers are back at work serving the people of Tennessee."
Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen's office said, last week, the investigation is now closed. Nobody was charged in connection with Brockwell's death.
The autopsy report said Brockwell was last known to be alive on the morning of July 31, 2023. Three hours before the incident, A Knoxville Police Department officer responded to the Food City near Western Avenue after the department received complaints about Brockwell.
The officer offered Brockwell medical aid, which he declined, body camera video shows. At 11:26 a.m., Brockwell was pronounced dead at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.