Truck Driver Charged In I-75 Wreck At East Ridge Makes Bond

  • Friday, May 16, 2025
A tractor trailer driver who is charged in connection with two deaths and several serious injuries on I-75 in East Ridge has made bond.

Joseph Antoinier was released after posting a $165,000 bond at East Ridge Court.

His preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 8 at 4 p.m. in East Ridge Court.

Police responded at 5:20 p.m. Sunday to the crash with entrapment near the Tennessee Welcome Center.

Upon arrival, police observed a major collision involving six passenger vehicles and one semi-truck.
Police said there was "significant damage across all involved vehicles."

A white Jeep and a white Ford pickup truck were fully engulfed in flames. The drivers of both those vehicles were dead at the scene.

Fire personnel extricated three other occupants from the white Jeep: a woman with facial lacerations, her seven year old daughter, with burns to her leg, and an 18-month-old child with severe burn injuries. All three were transported to Erlanger Hospital.

In all, eight persons were transported to area hospitals.

Police said witnesses reported that the semi-truck had been driving erratically prior to the collision, swerving between lanes and exhibiting reckless behavior.

Police said video footage from the scene confirmed that the semi-truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and failed to brake as traffic slowed, resulting in a chain-reaction crash.
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A tractor trailer driver who is charged in connection with two deaths and several serious injuries on I-75 in East Ridge has made bond. Joseph Antoinier was released after posting a $165,000 ... more