In a second incident involving hazardous materials Wednesday evening, multiple emergency agencies responded to a crash with injuries that again shut down Interstate 24, according to a news release from the Chattanooga Fire Department.
After emergency crews cleared the first incident involving a chemical spill of organic peroxide at the Germantown Road exit, they were called to a wreck at 8 p.m. on I-24 west at the Fourth Avenue exit. A Chevy Astro van collided with a tractor trailer transporting industrial floor cleaner, prompting another hazmat response and forcing the temporary closure of the interstate in both directions, the news release stated.
The van was apparently driving in the wrong direction on the Fourth Avenue exit ramp and pulled in front of the tractor trailer, causing a head-on collision, the release said. The driver of the van was pinned in the vehicle and had to be cut out by firefighters, according to the release.
The driver of the van was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, according to the release. He was the only passenger inside the van, and authorities did not have any additional information about his condition. The driver of the tractor trailer was taken to a local hospital with leg pain, the release stated.
The crash caused the tractor trailer to leak a product called ZEP, a floor stripping material. A private environmental company is handling the cleanup, according to the release.
I- 24 east has been reopened, but traffic on I-24 west is being diverted down the off-ramp and back up the on-ramp to take traffic around the wreck site as law enforcement conducts an investigation, the release stated.
— Compiled by Jody Park
