Tyson Green Killed in Auto-Pedestrian Accident on I-24 in Rutherford County, TN
Rutherford County, TN -- October 16, 2021, 45-year-old pedestrian Tyson Green was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 24 in Rutherford County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 3:00 a.m. on eastbound I-24 at mile marker 71 between Almaville Road and I-840. Preliminary investigation suggests Green was involved in a motor vehicle accident a few minutes prior and was on foot assessing the damage or otherwise attending to the accident when an eastbound 18-wheeler passed through and struck him in the roadway. The truck driver reportedly had neither time nor space to react before hitting Green.
Green suffered fatal injuries in the accident. No charges were filed against the driver.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Tyson Green Accident on I-24 in Rutherford County
Reports about this accident indicate the victim "ran in front of" the approaching truck, at least according to the driver's account to police. I have no specific reason to doubt that wording, and yet I cannot help but wonder why a man trying to work out how to deal with his own previous accident would have run anywhere at the scene. It could be that some sudden movement on his part was simply characterized that way by the truck driver, but at the same time that wording is adverse to the victim if not properly interpreted.
The only thing I would say is that I hope authorities won't leap to any hasty conclusions based on the driver's testimony. I have worked on some cases in which certain details found at the scene or recorded during interviews led officers to make premature conclusions--ones which they refused to amend even when contradicting evidence came to light. Until other possible factors--things like visibility problems, possible speeding or distraction on the truck driver's part, and even the possibility that one or the other party was not paying attention--are rigorously investigated, it's still anyone's guess what exactly occurred in Rutherford County. I mean no disrespect by bringing up any of those possibilities; I only mean that extenuating circumstances must be considered to ensure the truth is found.
When investigators fixate too much on one plausible explanation and ignore others, official reports sometimes include mistaken conclusions and the general public wouldn't know any better than to trust them. Obviously that's problematic if victims or their families seek answers after the fact, only to find the wrong person was officially considered responsible despite earnestly believing otherwise.
Ultimately the best thing to do, as always, is to conduct a careful and thorough investigation to ensure only true and accurate information makes it onto the reports. At the very least, the victim's loved ones deserve to know that every possibility was properly evaluated and all evidence was found before any conclusions were reached.
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