On the afternoon of Wednesday January 21, an accident closed the northbound lanes of I-75 at mile marker 134 near Caryville. The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that an unknown vehicle hit Lindsey Chapman, 31, who was driving a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am. Ms. Chapman lost control of her vehicle and hit the guardrail cables before reentering the road directly in the path of an oncoming tractor trailer driven by Richard Harn.

Mr. Harn, 64, saw Ms. Chapman’s Pontiac enter the road and tried to avoid an accident by veering into the shoulder. Unfortunately, he struck the Pontiac and overturned, hitting the guardrail cables and blocking both lanes of I-75 northbound. His quick reaction, though not entirely successful, may have saved both of their lives, though both may have suffered injuries in the accident.

The driver that initially hit Ms. Chapman’s car did not stop to make a report or check on the victims of the accident. Ms. Chapman didn’t see the vehicle that hit her, but Mr. Harn said he believes that it was a green or black tractor trailer.

Important information about tractor trailer accidents

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets safety standards, and then distributes funds to allow individual states to enforce the guidelines. Tennessee inspectors have a better track record than most when it comes to enforcing truck safety, but because enforcement varies state-by-state, there is no guarantee that any given truck is in safe operating condition.

Daniel Blower studies truck safety at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. He said, “One out of six trucks pulled over for inspection