Accident Closes I-81 For Several Hours

Interstate 81 north in Hamblen County was closed for several hours Tuesday after an accident involving a car and a tractor trailer. According to the Tennessee Highway patrol, a Kia Soul was traveling in the righthand lane near mm 14. The Kia had a tire blow, which caused the driver to lose control and hit a tractor trailer that was in the lefthand lane. The Kia then went to the right and hit a guardrail then went back onto the roadway and struck the tractor trailer a second time, causing the tractor trailer to overturn. The Kia came to rest on the roadway. The driver of the Kia and one of the passengers in that car were injured. One of them was airlifted to the UT Medical Center in Knoxville. Their condition is not known.