GRUNDY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A pickup truck drove off State Route 108 in Gruetli-Laager Saturday and crashed into a tent where more than 50 people had gathered for an estate auction, injuring at least 5 people and possibly killing one.
Mike Winton, who runs a real estate auction company, was hosting the event when the crash happened around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
He said the crowd had no warning before the truck struck the back of the tent.
"Somebody had shouted, 'Look out.’ And the next thing I knew, the crash had happened," said Mike Winton, owner of Mike Winton Realty and Auction. "If you can, imagine everybody's seated in the tent. We had our backs to the traffic, where the truck was coming from; we had no knowledge at all."
Witness Paula White said she was driving behind the pickup truck just before it crashed.
"I could see his arm and he was struggling, so I knew the brakes went out or something, something malfunctioned, and then I just stopped in the middle of the road and started blowing the horn." White said.
We still don’t know exactly what officially caused the crash, but Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating.
After the crash, several people were pinned under the truck, bystanders worked together to free them.
"Several of us got together; there was a lady and a gentleman under the front of the truck, and we were able to pick it up and move it back from them," Winton said.
Early reports indicate at least five people were injured and one person may have died. I am working to confirm those details.
Winton reflected on the weight of what happened.
"As a person of faith, we don't have a promise of tomorrow. And unfortunately this is a reminder of that truth," Winton said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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