A trucker and his wife were killed in an accident along U.S. 64 near Fayetteville, TN, according to police and eyewitness reports.

William Place, 50, and his wife, Sherry Place, 48, both of Dennis, MA, were killed in the wreck, Beth Bowden, a communications operator with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, told Land Line.

About 4:40 a.m., the Places’ truck was approaching a spot on the highway about 8 miles east of Fayetteville called “the big cut,” where a large hill was cut away to allow the highway to be built.

Their 2001 Freightliner, which was loaded with aluminum beams, failed to negotiate a curve as it headed east.

The truck “ran through a guardrail, traveling approximately 40 feet down an embankment, overturning several times,” Bowden said. “It came to rest on its top.”

Tennessee trucker Brenda Slotman, who lives nearby, said the site includes a sharp curve and a deep embankment – deep enough that it took officials a day to get the truck out.

Slotman came upon the accident scene some time after the accident occurred. She said “There is nothing left of the rig.”

“I just cried, I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “The only thing left was the frame … I’ve been in trucking seven years and I’ve never seen nothing but the frame left.”

Trooper Eric Emmert, one of the officers who investigated the accident, said it was likely caused by a “combination of things.”

“I believe he may possibly have fallen asleep,” Emmert said. The big cut “is a pretty steep curve in the road, and there was no indication that he ever attempted to make the curve.”

Emmert said the truck’s logbooks indicated the couple had been on the road for about 12 hours. Speed did not play a role in the wreck, he added.

The Elk Valley Times also reported Tuesday that William Place apparently fell asleep at the wheel. The couple likely died on impact, the newspaper said.

William was at the wheel when the accident occurred; Sherry was in the sleeper. The two were driving for Arrow Trucking Co.

--by Mark H. Reddig, associate editor

Mark Reddig can be reached at mreddig@landlinemag.com.