A tragic bus accident in Dandridge on October 2 has been fetching national attention, after eight people were killed and fourteen people were injured.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the crash is still under investigation. Officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) reported that a church bus from North Carolina was traveling on I-40 east near Dandridge, Tennessee around 2 p.m., when one of its tires blew out.
The driver reportedly lost control of the bus, hitting a tractor-trailer and SUV. The tractor-trailer burst into flames. The bus was carrying 18 people from a church in Statesville, North Carolina. There was one person in the tractor-trailer, and three people in the SUV.
Eight people were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, while 14 were transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. “This is probably, in my 17 years, the most serious incident I’ve ever been a part of,” Sgt. Bill Miller of the THP said, according to the AP. A report said that one of the fatalities involved the driver of the tractor-trailer.
Further complicating an investigation into the accident is the federal government shutdown. According to USA Today, the National Transportation Safety Board is not sending anyone to investigate this horrific crash because the agency has furloughed all of its highway investigators.
This accident is tragic—as a church member, we sympathize for the victims and family members. Blowouts can occur when vehicles have improperly sized tires, defective tires or tires that are not maintained properly. Potholes, small punctures and debris in roadways also cause tire blowouts. An investigation should reveal whether or not the van was overloaded or whether a mechanical problem contributed to the crash.
If you have sustained personal injuries, or have lost a loved one because of a car or truck accident involving a tire blowout, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact our Nashville car accident attorney, who wants to lend you strength during this tough time. Let us rally around you. Call (615) 866-3938 for a free evaluation of your case.
“That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” – Psalms 83:18