Two county employees were airlifted following a fiery crash on Manchester Highway Wednesday afternoon when their work truck was struck by a tractor trailer.

The Warren County Highway Department workers, Billy Nunley, 61, and Michael Pinegar, 43, were airlifted from the nearby Morrison Fire Hall and flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Pinegar has been released from the hospital while Nunley remained under treatment at press-time suffering from serious back injuries. The driver of the semi, Robert Mackie, 70, of Sparta was able to scramble out of the cab of his truck and get clear before it burst into flames.

According to Highway Patrolman Gary Myers, the accident happened around 3:20 p.m. in front of the Dollar General Store at Morrison. An investigation revealed that Nunley was heading eastbound, toward McMinnville, on Manchester Highway behind the wheel of the county highway department truck, towing a small steamroller. He was slowing to make a turn into the Dollar General parking lot when he the tractor trailer driven by Mackie, which was also heading eastbound, slammed into the trailer and steamroller he was towing. The impact threw the county truck through the parking lot of Dollar General where it slammed into a row of shopping buggies, sending them flying across the pavement. The county truck then proceeded across the lot until it collided with a parked vehicle that was sitting in front of the store.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the highway, both the tractor trailer and steamroller, which was knocked loose from the county truck, burst into flames. The truck driver was able to escape serious injury by evacuating the truck as flames licked the cab.

Morrison fire-fighters were able to extinguish the fire before it completely consumed the tractor trailer although the steamroller was a total loss.

The crash nearly collected other vehicles that were on the highway, with some motorists having to take evasive maneuvers to avoid becoming part of the wreck.

Myers believes Pinegar had his attention distracted just before the crash, explaining why he didn’t see the county truck slowing to turn. Charges are pending against him. There was no evidence of drugs or alcohol in the wreck.