Injuries Reported in Multi-Vehicle Crash on TN-385 in Shelby County
Shelby County, TN -- April 12, 2022, injuries were reported after a five-vehicle crash involving a tractor-trailer on State Highway 385 in Shelby County.
Reports say the incident happened just after 3:00 a.m. on TN-385 between Winchester and Hacks Cross. The cause and circumstances of the wreck aren't yet known, but reports say five vehicles including a commercial 18-wheeler collided in the area.
Investigators say injuries were reported but none appear to be critical.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information is available at this time.
Commentary on Multi-Vehicle Accident on TN-385 in Shelby County
Right now reports say only that several vehicles crashed on the highway and some folks were injured as a result. Obviously that's missing a lot of important details and context, so I hope no one tries to fill in any of the blanks for themselves.
It's rarely prudent to decide for one's self how a crash occurred, to say nothing of who or what's to blame. Investigators must still look into many factors: Driver-related issues like distraction or speeding, certainly, but also problems with the vehicles themselves, road conditions and design, visibility, lighting and sightlines, inclement weather, other traffic in the area, and many other elements that could have influenced or even caused the pileup. Properly evaluating all the accident's variables is essential to learning the truth of the matter.
In the meantime I want to reiterate that making assumptions is both unwise and unjust. I've seen too many cases where people rushed to premature judgment after reading a vague news release, only for details to come to light that completely changed the context of the wreck. The same thing could happen here, though it's possible a standard police investigation might not explain things as thoroughly as one would hope.
After a major accident--particularly one involving a commercial truck--I always suggest an independent investigation to make sure the whole truth is found. Whatever is discovered, those affected deserve to know that every effort was made to bring them all the available answers. Any further steps would depend largely on what those answers turn out to be.
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