Tractor-Trailer Accident Blocks I-40 at Chelsea

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A tractor trailer blown over on I-40 at Chelsea blocked traffic Tuesday morning as emergency crews worked to pull 2 people trapped inside.

The accident happened around 9:00am when a gust of wind associated with a passing thunderstorm knocked the trailer over on its side, and collided with another vehicle.

Two drivers in the tractor trailer were trapped inside; one driver was reported in non-critical condition, and the second driver was in critical but stable condition. It took rescue crews several hours to pull the second driver from the wreckage. The driver of the other vehicle was also reported in non-critical condition.

The tractor trailer blew across I-40, with part of the trailer partially crashed into a nearby backyard. Northbound traffic on I-40 was rerouted at the Chelsea exit.

Clayborne Echols, who lives in the 14 hundred block of Bellvue, heard a loud boom and thought lightning had struck a tree in his backyard.

“Oh my God, here’s a truck in the yard. We ran over and asked the driver if he was okay and he told me that he was pinned in,” said Echols.

Residents living near that section of the interstate say sudden rainfall tends to form puddles on the highway, making it a dangerous stretch for travelers and commuters.

A woman driving a car involved in the accident escaped unscathed.