Details emerge from Friday morning wreck in THP report

Two vehicle wreck creates traffic problems in both directions of I-75

RIDGEWOOD, TN (WLAF)- It was 1:26am Friday when the report of a serious accident on I-75 was called in to Central Dispatch. The preliminary report from Tennessee Highway Patrol confirms the accident occurred on the northbound side of I-75 near the Ridgewood train trestle.

A 2003 Nissan 350Z, a sports car, with 40-year-old Gabriel M. Wilson behind the wheel, was headed north on I-75 near mile marker 131.6 in the left of two lanes. The Nissan was behind an uninvolved vehicle. An 18-wheeler, driven by Mohamed Issa Abdi, 34, was following behind the Nissan, the report said.

The THP preliminary report said the Nissan sports car attempted an evasive maneuver to avoid striking the car in front of it, lost control and struck the median concrete wall. The sports car rebounded into lane one, the left lane, and was facing southbound as it was hit head-on by a 2018 Freightliner big rig. The Freightliner left the roadway, re-entered and crashed through the concrete median wall before coming to a final rest across the northbound and southbound lanes of I-75.

As a result of the wreckage, I-75 NB was closed, and one lane SB was closed. Northbound traffic was diverted at Exit 129 at Rocky Top.

Wilson, of Tennessee, was injured while Abdi, a Kentucky resident, was uninjured. Charges of following too closely and improper lane usage are pending against Wilson, based on the THP report.

All responding agencies were clear of the scene, and the interstate was fully open by 4:55am Friday. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-05/26/2026-6AM)