I-40 Crash In Tennessee Leaves 8 Dead, 14 Injured [VIDEO]

An I-40 crash left at least eight people dead and 14 injured in a fiery bus crash that closed down I-40 on Wednesday afternoon. The I-40 crash involved a church bus, a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle. The horrific crash is said to have taken place at about 2 p.m. local time near the mile marker 423. The crash forced officials to close down both lanes of the highway as emergency crews filled the site. The accident closed the interstate in both directions for about 15 hours, from Wednesday afternoon until just before 5 a.m. Thursday.

The church bus was traveling eastbound on Interstate 40, when the left front tire blew out. The bus then traveled across the median, clipped the westbound Tahoe, continued traveling and struck the tractor trailer on the left side. The tractor trailer immediately caught fire and the bus overturned. Six of those killed were passengers on the bus, one was in the Chevy Tahoe and one was the driver of the semi truck. As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, eight surviving victims were in critical condition, two in serious condition, and four in stable condition.

Although the bus didn't catch fire, Jefferson County EMA Brad Phillips said, "There was some heat exposure to a section of the bus. We were able to remove all the victims fairly rapidly that were alive." Truck driver Charles Ragan witnessed the crash. "This is the first scene that's bothered me that bad, and I've seen them all. So I've cried. I've been here since 2 o'clock, and I've cried and I'll cry again. I'm about to cry now. But it's a bad thing," he said.

"In my 17 years, this is probably the most serious incident I've been a part of," said Bill Miller, public information officer for the Tennessee Highway Patrol. "There were three vehicles, and the dynamics were great. There are so many variables to this. It's tremendous." Dandridge Fire Chief Andrew Riley said he could see the plume of smoke before he arrived on the scene, calling in additional units and support from area fire departments. "You could hear the urgency on the radio," he said. "Honestly, I said a prayer because I knew we were running into a bad situation."

The church bus belonged to Front Street Baptist Church and was returning with 18 members of a senior adult class, from the annual Fall Jubilee in Gatlinburg, Tenn., an event featuring gospel singers and speakers. The church's website described the gathering as "three days of singing, laughing and preaching" for "mature and senior believers." Church members on Wednesday night were waiting for more details. None of the victims have been identified.