Authorities closed all southbound lanes of the Downtown Connector for about three hours Tuesday morning to investigate a fatal wreck and clean up a fuel spill.
Only one vehicle was involved in the wreck, which was reported about 3:30 a.m. just south of Langford Parkway, according to Atlanta police. The driver, identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as 26-year-old Christopher Medina of Clayton County, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Traffic investigators believe Medina lost control of his vehicle and left the road before striking a guard rail, a police spokesperson said in a news release. Southbound traffic was diverted off the interstate during the investigation, until left lanes began reopening at about 6:15 a.m.
During the height of the shutdown, southbound traffic was backed up to University Avenue. Even after the lanes reopened, there were significant delays between Midtown and downtown Atlanta, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported.
According to the Traffic Center, crews were called to clean up a fuel spill at the crash site.
The circumstances surrounding the wreck remain under investigation. It was not clear what caused the man to lose control.
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