A New York City man has been charged with four counts of vehicular homicide after a fatal crash early Sunday evening on a Tennessee interstate highway, that claimed the lives of at least two Alabamians.

Kingsport, Tennessee Police Public Information Officer Thomas Patton, said that the incident happened at around 7:00pm on Interstate 81 South, just north of the Airport Parkway exit.

A red Peterbilt tractor-trailer, driven by Saul A. Carrera, 60, of New York, was headed south on I-81 when it veered to the right onto the highway shoulder.  There, it struck a white 2017 Chevrolet Express van, which had been occupied by eight men and was parked on the shoulder after the left front tire became flat.  Three of those men were still in the van, while five were working to repair the flat tire.

Carrera’s vehicle, according to Patton, struck the van and all five men – killing four of them. The three men inside the van, all from Gadsden, were not injured.  The tractor-trailer then continued a short distance, jack-knifed, and overturned off the right side of the roadway.

Killed were Jose Urbano Serrano Ramos, age 25 of Crossville; a 17-year-old Crossville man; Jesse James Delacruz, 49, of Fayetteville, Tennessee and a man who hasn’t been identified. A 17-year-old from Gadsden also sustained major injuries and remains in critical condition at an area hospital.

Carrera, who had received non-life threatening injuries in the crash, was transported to an area hospital. 

Investigators charged Carrera with – four counts of vehicle homicide by intoxication, reckless aggravated assault, felony reckless endangerment, driving a commercial vehicle under the influence and failure to exercise due care.

Carrera is hospitalized in stable condition under police guard.  Once discharged, he’ll be transported to jail with a bond of $200,000.

(AL.COM/www.al.com)