Hamblen County, TN — February 3, 2025, two people were injured in a truck accident just after 10:30 p.m. on Interstate 81.

Authorities said a Kia Soul was heading north near mile marker 14 when a tire blew, causing it to crash into the Freightliner semi-truck in the left lane. The impact caused the car to bounce between the truck and the guardrail on the right side of the highway, as the truck overturned in the median.

Two people in the Kia were hospitalized with unspecified injuries after the crash south of Morristown, according to the report.

No other injuries were reported.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Hamblen County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people read about a crash like this, the first questions are usually simple: How does a blown tire in one car end with a semi-truck overturned? And are we really getting the full picture of how this unfolded?

Based on what’s been released so far, we’re told the Kia suffered a tire blowout and then collided with a Freightliner traveling in the left lane. What’s not clear is what happened in the moments between the tire failure and the impact. Tire blowouts don’t all play out the same way. Some cause a brief loss of control that’s quickly corrected. Others lead to sudden lane changes that give nearby drivers almost no time to react.

That distinction matters. We don’t yet know whether the Kia drifted into the truck’s lane, spun across lanes or was already partially out of control before the truck became involved. We also don’t know what the truck driver was doing at that moment: braking, steering or possibly trying to avoid a secondary collision. Those details are critical to understanding why a collision escalated to the point that the truck overturned in the median.

Another unanswered question is speed and positioning. Where exactly was the truck in its lane? Was it maintaining a steady speed, or was it slowing due to traffic or road conditions? On a multi-lane interstate at night, even small differences in speed and reaction time can change the outcome dramatically. The truck’s engine control module data can help answer those questions by showing speed, braking and steering input just before the crash.

There’s also the issue of visibility and timing. This happened after 10:30 p.m. We don’t know if there were debris from the blown tire in the roadway before the collision or whether the truck driver had any advance warning. Dash camera footage, if available from the truck or nearby vehicles, could help establish how sudden this event really was.

Finally, when a semi-truck overturns, investigators should look beyond the initial impact. Load condition, trailer stability and how the truck responded during evasive maneuvers all matter. Depending on whether the truck jackknifed, rolled due to steering input or was struck at a critical angle, different explanations — and responsibilities — may come into focus.

Right now, the public has only a basic outline of what happened. The real answers will come from data, video and a careful reconstruction of the sequence of events, not assumptions based on a single phrase like “tire blew.”

Key Takeaways

• A tire blowout alone doesn’t explain how or why a collision unfolded the way it did.
• It’s not yet clear how the Kia moved after the blowout or how much time the truck driver had to react.
• Black box data and dash camera footage are often key to understanding speed, braking and steering.
• The truck’s rollover raises additional questions about maneuvering, load stability and impact dynamics.