DUANE SHERRILLEditor

A tractor trailer crash Tuesday morning made a mess of Interstate 24 near Manchester, impacting traffic for hours as crews worked to remove the overturned trailer.

The wreck happened during rush hour Tuesday morning at 7:23 a.m. on I-24 east near the 111 exit. According to highway patrol preliminary reports, the vehicle involved was a 2024 Freightliner tractor trailer driven by Alvin W. Harper, 59, of Texas. Harper was injured in the crash.

A reconstruction of the mishap revealed that Harper was heading east (toward Chattanooga) on I-24 when he ran off the left side of the interstate and struck the cable barrier and overturned.

The crash left the interstate influx for most of the morning as the investigation of the accident along with the cleanup had impacts until the afternoon hours and will continue having impacts as crews fix the cable safety barrier that was torn down by the big rig. The crash also impacted traffic on the surface streets of Manchester as motorists took alternative routes to get around the backup.