NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Highway Patrol and members of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) have announced that the bus crash that killed eight people in Jefferson County on October 2, 2013 was a tragic accident.
Highway Patrol Col. Tracy Trott who spoke at the announcement said, “This was a tragic event that claimed the lives of eight individuals by no fault of any one person. We tasked local troopers, members of our Critical Incident Response Team and Criminal Investigation Division to conduct a thorough investigation that found no evidence of impairment on any drivers involved in the crash, no evidence that the drivers were distracted and no evidence that the bus was not well-maintained.”
Col. Trott adds, “This tragedy was the result of blunt force impact to the front tire that weakened its internal structure and caused the tire’s failure. There was no evidence of any pre-existing condition to the tire,” he added. “It was an accident and we continue to keep those affected in our thoughts.”
The investigation concludes that a Metrotrans Europa Mororcoach was traveling in the left lane on Interstate 40 when it sustained a left-front tire failure that caused the driver to lose control. The bus then drove into the median, hit and went through the cable barrier on the eastbound side of the interstate until it hit a Chevy Tahoe and a Volvo tractor trailer.
The church bus that had 18 occupants, came to rest on its right side. Five of those people were thrown out and died, another died inside of the bus. One of the three people in the Tahoe and the driver of the tractor trailer also died. Fourteen people were injured in the crash.
