NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV)– Police in Tennessee believe someone threw a chunk of concrete from a highway overpass, killing a driver who was on his way to work.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department says 54-year-old Joe C. Shelton Jr. was killed when the concrete came through his front windshield and hit him in the face. The incident happened just before 5 a.m. Tuesday while Shelton was driving on Interstate 24 near downtown Nashville. Shelton was traveling from his home in Pleasant View to his job at a Nissan plant in Smyrna.
Tennessee Transportation Department bridge inspectors determined the concrete was not part of the nearby Shelby Avenue Bridge. They say the chunk more closely resembles a roadway curb.
Police believe the chunk was thrown from the bridge and are reviewing available surveillance footage of the area.
According to WSMV, after Shelton was hit, he sideswiped a Toyota pickup truck and a guardrail before coming to a stop.
Nissan released the following statement on Shelton’s death:
“We are saddened to learn of Joe’s passing. Our deepest sympathies are with his family members, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.”
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department tweeted a picture of the concrete slab believed to be thrown, along with a picture of Shelton’s windshield.
MNPD investigating today's 4:54 a.m. death of Joe C. Shelton Jr., 54, on I-24 east near downtown after this chunk of concrete, likely thrown from the Shelby Av Bridge, went thru his windshield. Know who may have done this? 615-742-7463. pic.twitter.com/ehEOPXnfM6
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) November 20, 2018
