KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Over the summer, the Knoxville Fire Department said it had not one, not two, but three cars crash into stopped fire trucks responding to emergency calls, including some on Interstate 40.
KFD is asking drivers to follow the law and move over into the other lane if they see flashing lights or parked emergency vehicles on the road.
"Fortunately, no one has been hurt or killed in these incidents. However, the potential for serious injury or death to a first responder or driver of the vehicles involved is very real," KFD said.
KFD shared a video of one crash that happened on I-40 at the I-640 split near Papermill Drive. A KFD fire truck parked diagonally across the rightmost lanes of I-40 was responding to a crash when a car drove straight into the side of the vehicle.
KFD shared pictures of two other similar crashes that happened over the summer.
According to KFD, Tennessee's 'move over' laws require drivers to move over into an opposite lane of traffic when it's safe to do so away from vehicles with flashing lights, including emergency vehicles, highway maintenance vehicles, tow trucks, solid waste vehicles and utility service vehicles. Drivers that can't safely move over need to slow down when approaching these vehicles.
"The upsurge in KFD accidents is concerning, given the high cost of equipment damage and the possibility that a firefighter or police officer could be seriously injured or killed while working on an emergency scene on the highway," KFD said.