DUANE SHERRILLEditor

Traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 24 through Coffee County Saturday after a tractor trailer crash left I-24 gridlocked for most of the day.

The impact extended beyond just stopped traffic on the interstate as it bled onto the surface streets in Manchester as motorists flooded from the jammed interstate seeking to find alternate routes around the mess, causing heavy traffic on the city thoroughfares.

The wreck that led to the all-day traffic jam happened at 9:50 a.m. Saturday near the 112 eastbound mile marker. According to highway patrol reports, it all began when a 2023 Volvo tractor trailer driven by Fidele Nzitonda, 36, of Ohio came upon stopped traffic and had to swerve in order to miss a stopped vehicle. However, he instead hit the rear of a 2023 Dodge Ram 3500 driven by Luie Alexander McWhorter, 42, of Georgia. The first semi then continued on after hitting the Ram and struck a Dodge Express Cargo Van driven by Hassan Vaughn Alim, 72, of Georgia. The cargo van then veered off the right side of the interstate and struck a tree. The original semi then crossed both lanes before rolling over in the median where it came to rest. Nzitonda was injured in the crash while McWorter escaped injury. Alim was also injured. No charges were filed as result of the crash. Traffic remained slow deep into the afternoon as result of the morning crash.