Man Faces Vehicular Assault Charges After I-40 Crash

The Tennessee Highway Patrol has released information regarding an accident that happened on Interstate 40 in Cocke County early Monday morning. This happened near MM 443 and closed the interstate entirely for a short time before the westbound lanes were opened. According to the THP’s preliminary report, a 2012 Ford F150 was going east on I-40 near mile maker 443 when it left the right side of the road, hit a sign, and that causing a tire to burst. The truck then went across the interstate and hit the concrete barrier. The driver of the Ford truck then tried to get to the right shoulder, but a 2021 Chevrolet Colorado collided with the F-150. A 17-year-old passenger in the Ford truck was then ejected out of that truck. That 17 year old was the flown to the UT Medical Center in Knoxville with serious injuries. A 10 year old passenger in the Chevy Colorado was also injured and was taken to the Newport Medical Center. The 10 year old’s injuries were not considered serious. The driver of the Ford F-150 was identified as 47 year old Paulo Iniguez of North Carolina. He performed poorly in field sobriety tests. He is now facing charges of Vehicular Assault, Driving Under the Influence and Possession of a Firearm while under the influence. No word on the condition of the 17 year old passenger.

Traffic on I-40 East was backed up for several miles Monday morning due to that accident.