Early Sunday morning, the Alcoa Police Department had to close the northbound lanes of Alcoa Highway following a high-speed pursuit that ended in a vehicular accident. According to WBIR, the incident occurred at approximately 3:20 a.m. EDT when officers attempted to stop a presumed impaired driver. The chase concluded when the suspect's vehicle collided with a box truck, causing significant enough damage to the truck that it overturned and struck the side of a bridge.

Both drivers were injured in the crash and taken to UT Medical Center, although the box truck driver's injuries were reported as minor. The suspect, whose actions brought the highway to a standstill, is facing pending charges, the police notified. Traffic in the area was heavily disrupted, with northbound lanes sealed off to aid the police reconstruction of the crash scene near the Topside Road intersection, as detailed by a Facebook post from the Alcoa Police Department.

The roadway remained closed for several hours, leading to a significant rerouting of traffic. Motorists were advised by APD to avoid the area and consider available alternate routes including Old Knoxville Highway or Pellissippi Parkway. Commuters experienced delays as traffic was diverted to Topside Road, creating congestion and a ripple of frustration amongst those caught in the aftermath of the early morning chase.

However, as of 9:17 a.m., the Alcoa Police Department confirmed that the site had been cleared and the highway re-opened, easing the flow of traffic back to its usual pace, this information was confirmed through an update on their social media. While the episode of the crash left a mark on the day's traffic patterns, the re-opened roads signified a return to normalcy for the residents and travellers affected by the early disruptions, as reported by WVLT.