Two Kids Among Six Dead in Chattanooga Tractor Trailer Crash

Chattanooga, Tennessee

A tractor trailer crash involving eight other vehicles left six people dead on Thursday evening in Chattanooga. Two children were among those killed.

The fatal crash was reported at around 7:10 p.m. on the northbound side of Interstate 75, not far from Exit 11. Law enforcement officials said eight of the vehicles involved in the tractor trailer crash had slowed to a stop in lieu of construction. That’s when a tractor trailer driven by 39-year-old Kentucky resident Benjamin Scott Brewer plowed into the line of passenger vehicles.

One of the vehicles hit caught fire after impact, trapping four occupants inside. Two of those trapped were children. Emergency responders pronounced all four dead at the scene. The other two fatalities were in separate vehicles, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

One of the deceased has been identified as Brian Gallaher, who was Ocoee Middle School’s band director. Authorities are working to identify the others who were killed.

In total, 18 people were involved in the fatal crash. Six victims were transported to a local hospital and six others didn’t require medical treatment.

Benjamin Brewer told local law enforcement that he had been driving northbound from Florida. His destination hasn’t been reported. Officials are still in the process of interviewing Brewer, who did not sustain any injuries in the crash. Charges against him are pending the outcome of an investigation.

Thursday’s crash represents the highest fatality crash that the city of Chattanooga has seen in the last 10 years. According to the Chattanooga Highway Patrol, there have already been 19 car accident fatalities this year in the city, nearly double that of last year with half a year still left on the calendar.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched a Go-Team to investigate this tragedy.