Two people were killed on their way to Bonnaroo last night and five others were injured in an eight-vehicle crash along Interstate 24 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
According to police, via WTVF-TV Nashville, tragedy struck shortly after midnight when a big rig driver was unable to stop in time amidst congested traffic caused by an earlier minor accident. Among the several vehicles that the truck hit was another tractor-tailer — both flipped onto their sides. Two cars caught fire. Two passengers in the first were pulled to safety, but the two victims in the other could not be rescued in time. They were killed when the car exploded.
“[Emergency responders] were able to put out the flames for one car; they just didn’t have enough [time] for the other,” said Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold to the local news station. “So those were the heroes for those guys, because if it wasn’t for the trooper and the deputy, they probably wouldn’t be here either.”
The identities of those killed and injured have not been yet released. The driver of the truck that caused the crash was cited with failure to exercise due care, with additional charges pending. This morning, all lanes of the I-24 eastbound were reopened. The incident occurred less than an hour away from the Bonnaroo grounds in Manchester, Tennessee. The sold-out, four-day festival began today and is live-streaming as well.
