Tragedy struck Memphis yesterday afternoon as a five-vehicle collision resulted in the deaths of three individuals on I-40 near North Hollywood. Action News 5 reports that the Memphis Police Department (MPD) responded to the catastrophic scene at approximately 3:32 p.m. where they discovered three fatalities and quickly transported another victim to St. Francis in Bartlett; thankfully, the victim was in non-critical condition.
Details of the incident came to light through traffic cameras and witness accounts. As of 6:22 p.m., traffic was still heavily impacted by the closure, with vehicles being forced to reroute at the exit, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation cameras. In the wake of such accidents, not only time but lives become suspended in the balance; sometimes irretrievably so.
A witness to the horrific event, Franchesca Roland, spoke to FOX13, relaying her attempts to administer CPR to the victims. "This was someone's family," she expressed, the gravity of the aftermath weighing heavily upon her. "It hurts that we couldn't do more to get the other passengers out." Roland's video captured on the scene portrays multiple good Samaritans attempting to offer assistance.
By the time the lanes reopened, the echoes of the day's violent interruption had already indelibly marked the collective memory of those involved. WREG reported that the accident had involved four vehicles, contradicting earlier reports of a five-car crash.
