Investigators: Vehicle Crossed I-40 Median, Crashed into Oncoming Traffic

One person was killed and three people injured in a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 40 near exit 407 Saturday that closed the highway down for hours.

Officers from the Sevierville Police Department responded to a multi-vehicle crash on I-40 East near exit 407 at about 6:40 p.m. on August 1, 2020.

According to SPD Crash Reconstruction Officer Phillip West, the preliminary investigation indicates that a 2017 Jeep Wrangler driven by 40-year-old Darryl Kerr, of Morganton, Ga., was traveling west on I-40 when the vehicle crossed the median and crashed into eastbound traffic. Five vehicles were involved. One person died and three others were injured.

Kerr’s Jeep Wrangler rolled over in the accident. Lifestar Air Ambulance transported him to University of Tennessee Medical Center.

The driver of a 2015 Subaru Forester, 55-year-old Bettina Koelzer, of Marian, Iowa, died during the crash.

A 2020 Ford Explorer driven by 51-year-old Daniel Merrifield, of Fallon, Mo., rolled over in the accident. Lifestar transported two passengers from the Explorer, 43-year-old Vincee Merrifield and 21-year-old Jerra Merrifield, to University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Drivers of the other two vehicles involved—a 2003 Freightliner tractor-trailer and a 2019 Nissan Altima—were not transported.

Interstate 40 East was closed from mile marker 402 to mile marker 407 until approximately 11:59 p.m. Saturday night. The accident remains under investigation; no charges have been made at this time. Condition of the injured persons was not available.