Two people were killed early Thursday when a pickup truck slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer and slid beneath it on Interstate 24 in Smyrna, authorities said. The violent crash shut down the westbound lanes near mile marker 67 between Almaville Road and Sam Ridley Parkway and triggered a hazardous-materials response after diesel poured across the roadway. Crews worked into the morning to clear the wreckage and scrub fuel from the pavement before the highway finally reopened.
Crash details
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado hit the back of a semi, then became wedged beneath the trailer. The impact ruptured the truck's fuel tanks and sent diesel spreading across the westbound lanes. A HAZMAT team was called in to deal with the spill while troopers and Smyrna emergency crews worked around twisted metal and shattered glass to remove the pickup and secure the scene. The semi driver, a 57-year-old, was reported uninjured, while both people in the pickup were killed.
Victims and timeline
Local reporting later identified the two victims as a 72-year-old man from Kentucky and a 58-year-old woman from Tennessee. As reported by WKRN, the crash was first reported around 12:45 a.m., and westbound lanes did not fully reopen to traffic until about 6 a.m. Authorities have not released the victims’ names, citing the need to notify family members first. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into what caused the wreck.
Crash-prone stretch near Smyrna
The westbound stretch of I-24 around Sam Ridley Parkway and Almaville Road has turned into an all-too-familiar trouble spot, with recent multi-vehicle crashes that shut lanes for hours and left commuters fuming in backups. Reports on fatal pileups near Rutherford County have highlighted growing concerns about congestion and secondary collisions along this busy corridor. Transportation officials point to heavy commuter volumes and the tangle of nearby interchanges as key factors that raise the risk of chain-reaction crashes in the area.
Investigation and response
The Tennessee Highway Patrol and local emergency teams are continuing to investigate the crash and finalize the official report. Troopers have asked anyone who witnessed the collision or has dash-cam footage to contact authorities with information, although they have not given a timeline for when the investigation will be complete. Drivers should be ready for occasional slowdowns in the area as follow-up work and any remaining cleanup wrap up.
