Traffic was reduced to a crawl in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 early Wednesday morning as officials worked to reconstruct the scene of a fatal accident that occurred this past Friday.

Members of the Critical Incident Response Team were working to determine what caused the accident which happened about 8:04 p.m., Dec. 28, near mile marker 228, about one-half mile from the Beckwith Road interchange.

Trooper William Bennett of the Tennessee Highway Patrol said in his report that one person was killed and four people were injured in the two-vehicle accident. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured.

The deceased was identified as Yusuf Mohamud, who was to turn 25 this month, of Nashville.

Bennett in his report said that a 2008 Ford E2500 Van, driven by Timothy E. Gray, 44, of Portland, was traveling westbound near mile marker 228 on I-40. A 1999, four-door Honda Accord, driven by Omar A. Hirsi, who is to turn 26 this month, of Nashville, was traveling eastbound on the interstate when Gray lost control of the van in the rain and crossed the median into oncoming traffic.

The van struck the car and both vehicles went off the roadway into the treeline. The Honda Accord struck a tree on the left side passenger area coming to a rest.

Mohamud was a passenger in the Accord. Hirsi, the driver of the Accord, was injured.

Passengers in the car, Hassan A. Mahmood, 21; Abdikarim F. Jama, 24; and Awil A. Aden, who is to turn 30 this month, all of Nashville, each sustained injuries. They were transported to the hospital by Wilson County Emergency Management Agency.

Gray was not injured. He, along with Hirsi, Mahmood and Aden, were wearing their seat belts, the trooper said, adding in his report that Mohamud and Jama were not wearing seat belts.

Bennett said in his opinion safety restraints would not have made a difference in this accident. No charges were filed, he said, and no citations were issued.

This story was reported at www.wilsonpost.com on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012.

From Post staff reports --