Six people, including a 1-year-old infant, were killed in a car crash after they were ejected from their vehicles early Sunday on a freeway in central Tennessee, officials said. Two elderly people were injured, one of whom is in critical condition.
When emergency crews responded to the scene of the crash in Robertson County at about 2 a.m., they found a badly damaged car, said Brent Dyer, chief of the county’s Office of Emergency Management Services.
First responders found six females, ages 1 to 18, who had been thrown from the car and could not be saved, Dyer said in a news release.
Officials said a woman was hospitalized in serious condition after being pulled from the car. One person suffered minor injuries, officials said.
A second vehicle, whose driver was not injured, was found near the damaged car, officials said. The identities of those killed and injured were not immediately known. It was not immediately clear if they were related.
The accident happened on I-24 near Pleasant View and Springfield, and a portion of the highway was closed for hours before reopening later Sunday. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident.
The County Office of Emergency Management is coordinating professional mental health and counseling services for crews responding to the accident.
“Our office recognizes the incredible difficulty of this scene,” Dyer’s news release said.