An equipment truck belonging to the University of Tennessee football team was involved in a traffic incident on Interstate 40 in Arkansas, causing a multi-hour shutdown of eastbound lanes. The occurrence was reported following the Volunteers' victory over Oklahoma on Saturday. Cameras from the Arkansas Department of Transportation captured the incident, which took place near the I-30 interchange in North Little Rock, WVLT News reported.
According to WATE, the crash, which occurred early Sunday morning around 6:30 a.m., led to the diversion of eastbound I-40 traffic to I-30 westbound, with a turnaround in place for vehicles. Despite the complication, the lanes were reopened by 11:00 a.m., ensuring that, the travel disruption was temporary.
In a statement obtained by WVLT News, Bill Martin, the Tennessee Associate Athletic Director of Strategic Communications, assured that "Our equipment truck was involved in an accident while returning to Knoxville, and there were no injuries." This announcement provided a sigh of relief to fans and staff concerned about the safety of those involved in the transport of the team's gear.
The Tennessee football equipment truck looks to be in a wreck on I-40 East in Arkansas.
— Tennessee Volunteers (@Volology) September 22, 2024
The truck was traveling back from Norman after last nights game.
There appears to be no front tire… 😳 pic.twitter.com/43GWyVEWns
Additionally, a tweet from Volology, a Twitter account covering Tennessee Volunteers sports, showed an image of the truck missing a front tire, highlighting the severity of the incident. Despite this damage, the lack of injuries points to a fortunate escape for all parties involved on what could have been a far grimmer morning on I-40 East in Arkansas, Volology reported.
