Something pretty serious went down in downtown Gatlinburg on Sunday afternoon, June 1st. Around 4:15 PM, right in the middle of the Parkway near traffic lights 6 and 8, five cars ended up crashing. It was a bad one. You could just tell by the pictures and videos—cars smashed up, sirens everywhere, road completely shut down.
Six people got hurt in the wreck. Three of them were hurt pretty badly, and they had to be flown out by helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center. The other three were taken by regular ambulances. Thankfully, and honestly this feels like a small miracle, no one has died.
Emergency crews were quick to shut down the road and even parts of the sidewalks. If you know Gatlinburg, you know that area is always packed, especially on weekends. So yeah, it caused a lot of backup and confusion for a while.
What Caused the Crash? We’re Still Not Sure
As of now, nobody really knows for sure what caused the accident. A few people who saw it happen said it looked like one of the drivers might’ve had a seizure or some kind of medical emergency before the crash. But that's just what folks at the scene are saying—officials haven’t confirmed anything like that yet.
Right now, the Gatlinburg Police Department and the Tennessee Highway Patrol are digging into the details. They’re asking anyone who saw what happened or has phone or dashcam video to come forward. They're trying to figure out exactly what went wrong.
Here’s What We Know So Far
Just to make it clear and easy to follow, here are the main things that happened:
-
Time: Around 4:15 PM on Sunday, June 1
-
Place: Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg, between traffic lights 6 and 8
-
Cars involved: Five vehicles
-
People hurt: Six tota
-
🚧 Road closure: Police shut down part of the Parkway and sidewalks for several hours during cleanup and investigation
So yeah, it wasn’t just a small fender bender. This was a big one.
People Are Shaken, But Grateful It Wasn’t Worse
Honestly, it’s the kind of thing that makes you stop and think. Gatlinburg is always full of tourists, especially this time of year, and this accident happened right in the middle of all that. People were walking around, shopping, eating out—and suddenly there’s this crash.
Videos started popping up online, and you could see just how bad it was. Cars were smashed, lights were flashing, and people were just kind of standing around, trying to take in what just happened.
Locals and visitors were pretty shaken, but there’s also this sense of relief that nobody died. A lot of people are now talking about how quickly things can go wrong on the road—especially when there’s health issues, traffic, and tourists all packed into one area.
🚨 BREAKING: Major 5-vehicle crash in downtown Gatlinburg, TN — 6 injured, 3 airlifted to UT Medical Center.
— The Curious Quill (@PleasingRj) June 2, 2025
The crash sent cars onto sidewalks, shutting down Parkway (lights 6–8).
Cause under investigation — possible medical emergency suspected.#Gatlinburg #Tennessee… pic.twitter.com/jdtq1RRms8
What Happens Next?
So, where do things go from here? Authorities are still piecing everything together. Here's what they’re working on:
-
Checking surveillance cameras in the area 📹
-
Reviewing traffic camera footage
-
Interviewing people who saw the crash happen
-
Waiting on medical reports to see if a health issue may have caused the crash
They're doing their best to figure it all out. Meanwhile, the community is just kind of waiting and hoping that everyone who got hurt makes a full recovery.
