A firey crash involving four tractor trailers that shut down Interstate 65 for hours killed a Texas man and seriously injured two others.
Spring Hill Police and Tennessee Highway Partol were called to the scene which spanned both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-65 near mile marker 50 in Maury County Aug. 18.
A preliminary report, created by the Tennessee Highway Patrol released Aug. 19, identified the man killed as 59-year-old James Ebbinger.
The crash is still under investigaton by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a spokesperson said Aug. 19, but it appears a northbound 2026 Peterbuilt 579 driving by Ebbinger, crossed over the median into the opposite lanes of traffic and set off a deadly chain reaction.
Troopers are working a very serious
crash on I-65 at the 50-mile marker. Multiple commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) are involved, and one of the CMVs is on fire. Please seek alternative routes and avoid the area if possible. @myTDOT @ErinTDOT @THPLawrencebur pic.twitter.com/EJjF5IO44Y
— Tennessee Highway Patrol (@TNHighwayPatrol) August 18, 2026
The truck slammed into another tractor trailer driven by a 49-year-old Minnesota man, then hit two more trucks, driven by a 63-year-old Alabama man and a 36-year-old Florida man, before it stopped. One of those trucks then caught fire which spread to the three other trucks sending thick, black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles down the backed up road.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol Crash Investigation and Reconstruction Team is helping investigate why Ebbinger's truck ran into oncoming traffic.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Truck driver killed in fiery Maury County crash identified
