Traffic on the steep Cagle Mountain stretch of State Route 111/8 ground to a halt on Sunday, June 28, after a two-vehicle crash involving a semi-truck and a passenger car drew a major emergency response and shut down lanes while crews worked the scene.
Firefighters with the Dunlap Fire Department extricated the occupant of the passenger vehicle, according to officials, and traffic on the mountain was closed off while responders cleared debris. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the collision.
In a Facebook update, the Dunlap Fire Department said crews were dispatched to the crash and shared photos showing heavy damage to the vehicles involved. The post noted that the driver of the passenger car had to be extricated and listed responding agencies as Sequatchie County sheriff's deputies, Cagle VFD, Sequatchie County EMA and rescue, TDOT and Griswold’s Wrecker. The department also offered condolences to the family of the victim.
A stretch with a history
State Route 111, particularly the Cagle Mountain grade, has seen multiple serious incidents in recent months and years. Local reporting detailed a January crash north of the Cagle Mountain Trading Post that involved a semi and a passenger car, as reported by SValleyNow, and a May rollover that injured a truck driver, according to The Trucker. Local television archives also show earlier crashes on the Cagle Mountain stretch, highlighting how steep grades and tight curves complicate heavy truck traffic, WDEF reported.
What investigators say
According to the Dunlap Fire Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading the investigation, and lanes were diverted until debris could be cleared from the roadway. As of the department's June 30 post, officials had not released the driver's name or condition. Investigators are expected to share additional details when they become available.
