Pedestrian killed, struck by multiple vehicles on I-75/85 North in Atlanta

A pedestrian was fatally struck by multiple vehicles Thursday morning on northbound lanes of I-75/I-85 in Atlanta, officials said.

The collision happened just before 5 a.m. and led to the interstate shutting down past Peachtree Street near Pine Street and Ralph McGill Boulevard and until at least North Avenue, according to officials. Traffic impacts were apparent south of Mechanicsville and north into Midtown and Buckhead until shortly before 9 a.m. when the Downtown Connector reopened.

Atlanta police confirmed the pedestrian was hit while in the far-right northbound lane near the Williams Street bridge, just north of North Avenue, and pronounced dead at the scene. The man was identified by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office as 33-year-old Darryl Clay.

In a press release, authorities said the man was initially hit by one vehicle and then “subsequently struck by an unknown number of additional vehicles.” The first driver who struck Clay remained at the scene, police said.

Authorities did not say why Clay was walking on the interstate.

Cameras across the Downtown Connector showed no traffic moving through the blocked area for hours, and police cars were stationed with flashing lights.