Accident Backs Up Traffic For Miles On I-40 East

Traffic on Interstate 40 east in Cocke County was at a standstill for several hours Thursday afternoon after a one vehicle accident left debris all over the roadway. According to a preliminary report by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a 71 year old woman from Michigan was driving a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pulling a trailer. Just east of the 432 exit, the trailer began to swerve and the woman lost control of the pickup. The trailer then struck the guardrail. The side and rear doors of the trailer were ripped off and the contents of the trailer scattered across both lanes of eastbound I-40. That resulted in a traffic tie up on the interstate that lasted for several hours. At one point, traffic on I-40 eastbound was backed up five miles into Jefferson County, back to MM 427. Neither the driver or the passenger of the Chevy Silverado were injured in that crash and were wearing their seatbelts.