CHATTANOOGA, Tenn – Tuesday, October 5,2010 – 10:30 am – City Of Chattanooga
Firefighters and medics with Hamilton County EMS responded to an accident
involving a semi tractor trailer on the ramp from Interstate 24 Eastbound to
Interstate 75 Southbound. Within minutes, several emergency crews were on
the scene and reported an overturned tractor trailer with the driver still
trapped inside. Chattanooga Firefighters quickly went to work cutting away
the wreckage to free the driver. After a short period of time the driver was
freed and medics loaded him in a Hamilton County Ambulance. He was rushed to
Erlanger Medical Center, his Condition is not known.
Witnesses said the crash occurred as a result
of the semi not being able to negotiate the curved ramp. However City Of
Chattanooga Police are investigating. The ramp was closed due to the crash
for several hours. Police officers called for large wreckers to clear the
debris and upright the truck. Doug Yates Wrecker Service was dispatched to
the scene. In short order, several of the large Yates Wrecker trucks were on
the scene and working to clear the roadway. The wrecker crew had a big job a
head of them, however it didn’t slow them down. A large piece of machinery
the truck was hauling had landed half out of the back of the trailer, not to
mention rescuers had cut part of the cab away. This intensified the
recovery.
Crews were able to move and then load the
large piece of machinery onto another flatbed. Then with the quickening
Yates was able to flip the truck back onto it’s wheels. Within 45 minutes,
the semi was up righted and hooked to the back of a wrecker. By 1:00 pm the
roadway was completely clear and traffic was restored.
Story and photos by Barb Wuelfing
