Motorcycle driver dies after I-75 crash

By Mashaun D. Simon and Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A motorcyclist who slammed into the back of a van stopped in the HOV lane on I-75 has died, Atlanta police said Monday.

Police have not released the name of the man.

Witnesses told police a Ford Van was driving in a northbound lane of I-75 Sunday night and stopped closed to the Northside Drive exit because of a flat tire. The driver turned on the van's hazard lights, police said.

A motorcyclist traveling in the HOV lane then hit the back of the van, causing the cyclist to be thrown from the bike, police said. The gas tank also ruptured, and the motorcycle caught fire, police said.

The motorcyclist was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and died shortly after, police said.

The motorcyclist was from Atlanta; the driver of the van was from Rome, police said. Charges are pending a further police investigation.

The wreck closed all northbound lanes of I-75 for an hour and a half, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.