KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Department of Transportation said there was a significant, multivehicle crash on I-40 East Sunday afternoon. They said the crash temporarily closed the highway near the Strawberry Plains exit and backed traffic up past the I-640 interchange.
Knoxville Police Department officers responded to the crash around 3:40 p.m., according to KPD.
KPD said three cars were involved in the crash. A Nissan pickup was driving at a high rate of speed when it struck the back of a Ford Fusion, which was then pushed into a third car.
The driver of the pickup, 25-year-old Amilear Rony Jeronimo-Sales, attempted to leave the scene but was unable to do so due to the damage to his car, according to KPD.
Jeronimo-Sales then attempted to leave the scene on foot but was stopped by several bystanders and peacefully returned to the scene. He was evaluated at the UT Medical Center and has since been arrested on charges of reckless driving, leaving the scene of a crash with injuries, driving without a license and no proof of insurance, KPD said.
Both the driver and the passenger in the Ford Fusion were transported to UTMC. The driver was flown from the scene with possible life-threatening injuries, while the passenger was transported with non-life-threatening injuries, according to KPD.