A fatal collision on Alcoa Highway in Knoxville is under investigation, following the death of a woman early Saturday morning. The incident occurred just before 4 a.m. near Woodson Drive, where a Hyundai sedan collided with a tractor-trailer, WVLT reported.
The Knoxville Police Department confirmed that the Hyundai was traveling in the wrong direction, southbound in the northbound lanes, when the head-on collision with the tractor-trailer took place. The driver of the Hyundai, identified only as an adult woman, was pronounced dead at the scene, "according to KPD’s Scott Erland," as WATE detailed.
In the aftermath of the crash, lane closures caused significant traffic delays; however, the Tennessee Department of Transportation confirmed that all lanes were reopened by 10 a.m. that same day. KPD's crash reconstruction investigators are heading the ongoing investigation into the specific circumstances of the incident, stating that the woman's Hyundai sedan "hit the tractor-trailer head on," WVLT included in their coverage.
Despite the reopening of the highway, the investigation is ongoing as authorities work to determine the factors that led to this tragic event. The Knoxville Police Department has yet to release additional details about the driver or whether impairment or other issues might have contributed to the crash.
