Monday, March 13,2006 - 10:30 pm - City of Chattanooga Firefighters with Engine #1 and Engine #2, Squad #1 and Squad #4 as well as paramedics and Chattanooga Police officers were dispatched to an accident with injuries and entrapment on I-24 Westbound near the Highway 27 split.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they found two semi tractor trailers tangled up and smashed together. Even worse, they found a small car smashed and very heavily damaged underneath of the semi trucks.
City of Chattanooga Firefighters immediately started extricating the driver of the small car. Rescuers were absolutely amazed to find out that the mans injuries appeared to be minor. Within moments of extricating, the man was freed from the wreckage.
The driver of the car was taken to Erlanger Medical Center by ambulance. Crews, witnesses and bystanders could not believe the man escaped the crash without major injury.
Traffic on I-24 was shut down for hours while crews cleaned up the wreckage and moved the vehicles out of the roadway.
A secondary crash occurred about 45 minutes later about a half mile behind the first wreck, but crews were able to clean it up fairly quickly. Traffic was backed up for 5 to 6 miles at times during the night. City of Chattanooga Police are investigating the crash.