A 53-year-old man died Saturday afternoon when the tractor-trailer he was driving left Interstate 75 near Athens, Tenn., hit a tree head-on and burst into flames.
The crash happened about 1 p.m. at the 50-mile marker on I-75 South, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol accident report. Donald Barnes drove off the road, through a grassy area and into a tree.
A fire engulfed the cab of the truck and the entire trailer, the report states. Barnes’ body was found in the cab of the vehicle.
Investigators do not think drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, and no charges have been filed, according to the report.