http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs....=2008810070308
http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs....D=200881006004
Quote:
Traffic along Interstate 40 was slow much of the day Monday as emergency crews cleared debris from an accident that left an Adamsville truck driver dead.
Jeffery D. Rickman, 45, was killed when his tractor trailer truck pulling two FedEx trailers went through a guard rail and into the median on I-40 eastbound at the 70 mile marker in Jackson, according to a THP accident report.
The truck hit an embankment before stopping under a bridge, the report said. The trailer was carrying paint products and eyeglass lenses.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The wreck backed up traffic for several miles along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 near the Haywood County line and continued to cause congestion for nearly 12 hours.
Eastbound lanes of I-40 were closed for over two hours, as people got out of their vehicles to stretch and talk amongst each other and wait for the highway to reopen.
Some motorists crossed the median to get back to Exit 68 for an alternate route.
One lane of travel remained closed from 7:30 a.m. until 7:15 p.m., when the wreckage was cleared, according to the THP.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol, Madison County Sheriff, Fire and EMS departments along with Hazmat crews worked the accident scene.
It was busier than the usual Monday at convenience stores TA Travel Center and Valero Gas Station, located just off Exit 68.
Valero cashier Nina Jones said a coworker warned her to avoid the interstate because of the traffic.
"It's been a little hectic," she said. "There's been a lot of people stopping by asking for directions looking how to get to (U.S.) 70."
After spending around 25 minutes in traffic Monday afternoon, Harry Copeland stopped at TA Travel Center to fill up his RV.
Copeland was traveling cross state to West Virginia after working construction in Mississippi.
"It's slowed us down a little but we'll be all right," said the 60-year-old Panama City, Fla., resident. "We have awhile to go before we get where we need to be."
-Stanley Dunlap, 425-9668
Traffic along Interstate 40 was slow much of the day Monday as emergency crews cleared debris from an accident that left an Adamsville truck driver dead.
Jeffery D. Rickman, 45, was killed when his tractor trailer truck pulling two FedEx trailers went through a guard rail and into the median on I-40 eastbound at the 70 mile marker in Jackson, according to a THP accident report.
The truck hit an embankment before stopping under a bridge, the report said. The trailer was carrying paint products and eyeglass lenses.
No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The wreck backed up traffic for several miles along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 near the Haywood County line and continued to cause congestion for nearly 12 hours.
Eastbound lanes of I-40 were closed for over two hours, as people got out of their vehicles to stretch and talk amongst each other and wait for the highway to reopen.
Some motorists crossed the median to get back to Exit 68 for an alternate route.
One lane of travel remained closed from 7:30 a.m. until 7:15 p.m., when the wreckage was cleared, according to the THP.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol, Madison County Sheriff, Fire and EMS departments along with Hazmat crews worked the accident scene.
It was busier than the usual Monday at convenience stores TA Travel Center and Valero Gas Station, located just off Exit 68.
Valero cashier Nina Jones said a coworker warned her to avoid the interstate because of the traffic.
"It's been a little hectic," she said. "There's been a lot of people stopping by asking for directions looking how to get to (U.S.) 70."
After spending around 25 minutes in traffic Monday afternoon, Harry Copeland stopped at TA Travel Center to fill up his RV.
Copeland was traveling cross state to West Virginia after working construction in Mississippi.
"It's slowed us down a little but we'll be all right," said the 60-year-old Panama City, Fla., resident. "We have awhile to go before we get where we need to be."
-Stanley Dunlap, 425-9668
I didn't find an article explaining what caused the driver to cross the median. But it shows how important control of the truck is.
