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UPDATE: We are learning more from witnesses who saw the immediate
aftermath of the tragic Mother’s Day crash on I-75 in East Ridge.
Dawn Schwartz says her family was traveling just behind when they
noticed the initial explosions.
She described, “I was looking ahead on the road, seeing how light
traffic was, and all of a sudden noticed a puff of smoke.”
Meanwhile, good samaritans like Chuck Staubs say they sprung into action immediately to save whoever they could.
He in particular attended to a white Jeep that had caught on fire, which
an East Ridge affidavit says the driver died, and a 7 year old girl and
18 month old infant suffered burn injuries.
Staubs recalled, “It was like a bomb going off… The first thing, when I
got to the Jeep, you could see the infant in the car seat, it was pinned
to the roll bar, and like I’m screaming “We’ve got to get this kid out!”, and I ripped the car seat out.”\
This crash has raised frustrations on the design of the interstate
junction that some blame for the crash.
East Ridge Police Chief Clint Uselton said, “This could’ve happened anywhere on any section of interstate, it’s simply that at that time, on
that section of interstate there was a slowdown and indications are that
truck did not slow down.”
He says this crash is a reminder of how critical every moment is on the
road.
Chief Uselton said, “We preach that when you are operating a vehicle,
that is the most important thing you are doing, that is your job.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————
(UPDATE 5/12/2024): EAST RIDGE, Tenn. (WDEF) — The truck driver
involved in the fatal I-75 crash on Sunday has been identified.
East Ridge police confirmed to News 12 that the driver was 65-year-old
Joseph Antoinier.
Antoinier currently faces the following charges:
Reckless Homicide (2 counts)
Felony Reckless Endangerment (7 counts)
Reckless Aggravated Assault (3 counts)
Around 5:20 p.m. Sunday, May 11, 2025, authorities responded to a
multi-vehicle crash on I-75 with entrapment.
Upon arrival, authorities found six passenger vehicles and one
semi-truck involved in the crash.
Officers also found a white Jeep and white Ford pickup truck fully
engulfed in flames.
According to the affidavit, fire personnel extricated three occupants
from the Jeep:
A woman with lacerations on her face
The woman’s 7-year-old daughter who had sustained burns to her leg
An 18-month-old child with severe burn injuries
All three were transported to a nearby hospital for further medical
treatment.
The drivers of the white Jeep and white Ford pickup truck were
pronounced dead on scene.
Eight patients in total were transported to a local hospital for further treatment.
Witnesses on scene told authorities Antoinier was driving erratically
prior to the incident.
Video evidence revealed Antoinier was traveling at a high rate of speed
and didn’t break as traffic slowed.
He was also transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Upon medical clearance, Antoinier was arrested and taken into custody.
“This is a horrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with all those
involved. We’re cooperating with all investigations.”
–Amber Plunkett, Amazon spokesperson
Amazon confirmed that the carrier involved in the crash was apart of
their Relay Program.
“Amazon Relay is our online portal that allows authorized third-party carriers to haul freight loads on behalf of Amazon. This enables
thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses to pick up freight on
their schedule. Whether it be one-off loads or more frequent, Relay
offers flexible options for third-party carriers. We have rigorous
safety criteria for carriers, and suggesting otherwise is inaccurate and
would be intentionally misleading.”
–Amber Plunkett, Amazon spokesperson
https://www.wdef.com/truck-driver-identified-facing-charges-in-fatal-i-75 -crash/
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