1 killed, 2 injured in crash that blocked I-575 for hours

The 61-year-old man was thrown from his truck during the crash.

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

Credit: Channel 2 Action News

The 61-year-old man was thrown from his truck during the crash.

A man was killed and two women were injured in a crash that blocked a major Cherokee County interstate for three hours Wednesday morning, officials said.

According to Cherokee sheriff’s office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker, a Kia Sportage driven by 24-year-old Kierra Holder of Riverdale hit the back of Robert Schroeder’s Toyota Tacoma just north of Riverstone Parkway on I-575. Witnesses told investigators the Sportage was traveling erratically before the crash, which occurred around 7 a.m.

Both drivers lost control, and their vehicles turned onto their sides and smashed into a guardrail, Baker said. Schroeder, 61, of Jasper, was thrown from the Tacoma. He was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the sheriff’s office.

Holder and her passenger, 23-year-old Samira Bryant of Riverdale, were taken to the same hospital. Their conditions are not known.

During the investigation, southbound lanes of I-575 were closed, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported. The interstate did not reopen until after 10 a.m.

No charges have been filed in the crash, which remains under investigation.