Early this morning, Knoxville was the site of a tragic incident when a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 40 East resulted in the deaths of two Florida residents. The Knoxville Police Department (KPD) confirmed that the crash took place around 5:30 a.m. near the I-40 East ramp to I-640 East, where the vehicle left the roadway for undetermined reasons and collided with a guardrail, as WVLT reported.

Authorities responded to the accident and pronounced both occupants dead at the scene; the I-40 East ramp to I-640 East was consequently closed to allow KPD's crash reconstruction team to conduct their investigation, causing significant traffic disruption, and it's not just the traffic but the lives irrevocably altered, the yet unanswered questions plaguing a community when the normal noise of morning commutes is replaced by the silence of loss and the blinking of police cruisers, according to WATE.

As of the latest updates, the circumstances that led the vehicle off the road remain unknown, with KPD's Communication Manager Scott Erland stating, "Based on the evidence on scene, the involved vehicle was traveling east on the I-40 ramp to I-640 when it ran off the road to the right for reasons that remain unknown and struck a guardrail," which was shared by WBIR.

The identities of the victims have not been disclosed pending notification of kin, and officials have urged anyone with information to come forward, the investigation into this incident is ongoing.