NEW MIDDLETON, Tenn. — One child was killed and three others were injured after a crash on I-40 in Smith County Tuesday morning.
Two adults and two children from North Carolina were in a Subaru SUV headed west on I-40 around 11:40 a.m. when the SUV ran off the right side of the road near mile marker 251, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The SUV went into the ditch line, struck an embankment and overturned. The two children, ages 10 and 11, were ejected from the vehicle during the crash and thrown onto the highway. The unidentified 11-year-old died after he was struck by a tractor-trailer, says THP.
The 10-year-old child and two adult passengers were all injured in the crash as well, but the extent of each of their injuries is unknown.
Charges are pending for the 36-year-old driver of the SUV, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to THP. Neither of the children wore a seatbelt, and it is unknown if the adult male passenger was wearing a seatbelt.
There are a lot of great schools in our area. Congratulations to four schools in the mid-state that were awarded National Blue Ribbons for Academic Execellence. The were among six in Tennessee to receive that honor. They were among 356 schools across the United States to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education!
-Lelan Statom