CARYVILLE, TN (WLAF) – One big rig rammed another big rig is what this morning’s just released prelimary accident report states about Tuesday night’s horrific crash on I-75 here in Campbell County.   Trooper Conner Bell with the Tennessee Highway Patrol report notes that both 18-wheelers were headed south on I-75 near Exit 134 at 7:15 pm last night.

The report details that a 1996 International tractor and trailer was traveling in the right lane while a 2016 Freightliner tractor and trailer was in the left lane.  The International was driven by 55-year old Kenneth Rawls of Florida with 61-year old John Shaw of Louisiana behind the wheel of the Freightliner.

Trooper Bell writes that Rawls drove his International into the left lane and Shaw’s Freightliner struck the International from the rear.  Both big rigs came to an uncontrolled rest in the southbound lanes of I-75.

Rawls, Shaw and a passenger in Rawls rig, 32-year old Leveski Smith of Florida, were all injured.

Trooper Bell charged Rawls with failure to maintain lane and record of duty status not current.

TWO OTHER ACCIDENTS ON TUESDAY

At 5:30 pm Tuesday, the Tennessee Highway Patrol reports that a single-SUV wreck snarled northbound traffic at Mile Marker 132 in Campbell County.  The SUV ran off the roadway-left and struck the cable barrier coming to an uncontrolled rest in the left lane, according to the report.  The only person involved, the driver, 37-year -old Sorin Stanescu of Knoxville, was not injured.

Just before 10:30 pm, Tuesday night, a spin-off wreck from the evening wreck happened at the Red Ash bridge on old Highway 63 as southbound traffic had left the interstate taking the old road.  A tractor trailer wrecked, with no one injured, and kept the road closed until 3 am Wednesday morning.

(WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 6:55AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMA DIRECTOR JAY MUNCY)