Postcrash witness photograph of crash and fire taken from northbound lanes of I-65 on  bridge crossing for Pigeon Creek. (Sourc

​​​ Postcrash witness photograph of crash and fire taken from northbound lanes of I-65 on 

bridge crossing for Pigeon Creek. (Source: Alabama Law Enforcement Agency [provided to law enforcement by witness], annotated by the NTSB)

Multivehicle Crash and Postcrash Fire on Interstate 65

What Happened

On ​​June 19, 2021, about 2:21 p.m. central daylight time, a series of vehicle collisions occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65 (I-65) near Greenville, Alabama, in Butler County. This investigation focuses on one multivehicle crash sequence involving 10 passenger vehicles and 2 commercial trucks. Several passenger vehicles were slowing or had stopped due to earlier crashes, creating a traffic queue at the northern end of the bridge that crosses Pigeon Creek. A 2020 Ford Explorer collided with a vehicle at the end of the traffic queue. A 2020 Volvo truck-tractor with a Cottrell trailer for transporting automobiles collided with the Ford Explorer, initiating a series of additional collisions in both travel lanes. A 2005 Freightliner truck-tractor/2009 Wabash dry trailer combination vehicle that was following behind the Volvo auto-transporter combination vehicle collided with several vehicles and continued into the median. The two commercial trucks and four passenger vehicles, including a 2017 transit van, came to rest in the center median. A postcrash fire ensued and destroyed the vehicles in the median. Ten vehicle occupants died and 19 others sustained injuries. At the time of the crash, there was light rain, and the roadway was wet. The posted speed limit was 70 mph.

What We Found

We ​determined that the probable cause of the Greenville, Alabama, crash was the unsafe speeds of multiple vehicles during rain, low visibility, and wet road conditions. Contributing to the fatal injuries of the transit van passengers was the postcrash fire.


Lessons Learned

​​​​​Driving at speeds above the speed limit or too fast for conditions can have serious consequences, including a loss of vehicle control, increased crash severity, and more severe injuries. Drivers should be knowledgeable about driving in inclement weather and the need to reduce their vehicle speed in response to conditions. The NTSB has identified a need for increased public awareness about the dangers of speeding and driving too fast for inclement weather. The NTSB also has previously issued safety recommendations for highway and vehicle technologies addressing speeding that may prevent or reduce the severity of crashes.

Fuel tanks on commercial trucks involved in crashes are susceptible to high impact forces, resulting in ruptures, postcrash fuel spillage, and fire. The NTSB has previously recommended that federal regulators work to improve vehicle safety standards to improve the crashworthiness of side-mounted fuel tanks on truck-tractors.   

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