At approximately 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday (9/24/24), a devastating accident occurred on I-40 near mile marker 263 westbound, when a car went over the bridge and into the Caney Fork River. The crash, reported to 911, involved a 2016 Honda Civic that collided with a tractor-trailer before careening off the roadway. The vehicle flipped over the bridge and landed upside down at the edge of the river.
Emergency responders from multiple agencies, including Smith County and Putnam County EMS, the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), Smith County Sheriff’s Office, Smith County Rescue Squad, Putnam County Rescue Squad, Gordonsville Police Department, South Carthage Police Department, New Middleton Fire Department, Gordonsville Police Department, Putnam County Fire Department, Vanderbilt Ground Ambulance, and M&W Towing were dispatched to the scene.
Four passengers were in the Honda Civic; two were severely injured, and two were killed. The identities of the victims have not been released, as authorities are working to notify the families. The driver of the Civic is currently under investigation, with charges pending.
While emergency personnel were still managing the first crash, traffic along I-40 began to back up, leading to a second fatal accident an hour later, approximately two miles behind the original crash site. This second collision involved a tractor-trailer, a Chevrolet Equinox, and a Ford Transit van. The tractor-trailer had come to a stop in the right lane due to the backed-up traffic, with the Equinox stopped behind it. The driver of the Ford Transit van failed to stop, slamming into the back of the Equinox and pushing it into the left lane, before striking the tractor-trailer.
Both occupants of the Chevrolet Equinox, identified as 69-year-old Glenda Tidwell and 42-year-old Windy Tidwell, both of Tennessee, were killed. The driver of the Ford Transit van, 32-year-old James Paul Hillard of North Carolina, is facing potential charges as authorities continue to investigate the tragic incident.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into both crashes, and charges are pending against both the driver of the Honda Civic from the first wreck and the driver of the Ford Transit van from the second. Further updates, including the release of victims’ names from the first crash, are expected once next-of-kin notifications are made.
