Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee)
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — An afternoon crash killed a forestry firefighter Thursday on Interstate 40 in West Knoxville and tied up traffic for hours.
The wreck happened about 5 p.m., Knoxville Fire Department Capt. Darrell Whitaker said. A group of firefighters, all from out of state, were driving in a convoy from training in Jackson, Miss., to Virginia for final certification when a firefighter lost control of a Mercury Mountaineer near the Papermill Drive exit, he said.
The Mountaineer flipped repeatedly, killing the driver instantly, Whitaker said. The passenger was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center with injuries that didn’t appear to be life threatening, he said.
The men’s names weren’t released Thursday night.
Speed contributed to the crash, Knoxville Police Department Sgt. Jason Hill said.
KFD and the Knoxville Firefighters Association will assist the surviving firefighters with lodging and counseling.