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Saturday, November 14, 2026Nov 14

NTSB: Driver in deadly I-75 crash was on first run for trucking company

I-75 crash
I-75 crash

The driver involved in last week’s deadly I-75 crash was making his first run for the trucking company, The National Transportation Safety Board officials said this morning.

Ben Brewer, 39, was the driver of a truck that plowed into several vehicles in a crash that killed six people in Chattanooga on June 25. He had only started work with the London, Ky.-based carrier, on Monday, June 22.

NTSB officials released the information about Brewer during a press conference during which they released some details surrounding the “safety component” of the crash investigation. That investigation encompasses everything from the driver’s competency to the conditions of the highway prior to the crash.

It could be 14 months before an outcome in that investigation. Officials are waiting on blood samples, cellular data and more interviews. Brewer’s blood sample was sent to Nashville yesterday, officials said.

photo Nine-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 in Ooltewah, Tenn.

NTSB officials said the truck Brewer was driving had deficiencies involving brakes and other components, but that those did not contribute to the crash.