SMITH COUNTY, TN — An 11-year-old boy from North Carolina died late Thursday morning following a a pair of crashes on Interstate 40 near Watertown, according to WSMV.
The collision occurred on the westbound lanes of I-40 between mile markers 252 and 251, in an area east of Nashville. It was first reported at around 11:40 a.m.
Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) officials said a 36-year-old North Carolina woman, Corixa Luz Esponza Valdes, was operating a Subaru Forester that ran off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle entered a ditch line and collided with an embankment before overturning.
An 11-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy were both thrown from the Subaru during the rollover. Moments later, the 11-year-old victim was fatally struck by an oncoming tractor-trailer. The THP said the boy was found not to be wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
No information about the condition of the 10-year-old boy has been released at this time.
The preliminary crash report indicates that Esponza Valdes faces charges. She was also reported hurt in the crash, along with 37-year-old passenger Douglas Moises Lopez Castillo.
An investigation remains open and ongoing.
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