Medical emergency leads to fatal wreck on I-85 South in Gwinnett

A death investigation on I-85 South at Jimmy Carter Boulevard brought the Friday morning commute to a standstill for drivers in Gwinnett County.

A death investigation on I-85 South at Jimmy Carter Boulevard brought the Friday morning commute to a standstill for drivers in Gwinnett County.

Traffic was at a standstill on I-85 South through Gwinnett County for several hours Friday morning while authorities investigated a fatal single-car wreck.

A car left the interstate and wrecked down an embankment near Jimmy Carter Boulevard. Investigators believe the driver had a medical emergency, Gwinnett police Sgt. Jake Smith said.

“The driver left the roadway at relatively slow speed,” Smith said. “There was only very minor damage to the car.”

The driver, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation shut down one right lane from about 5:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., during the peak of the morning commute.

Inbound delays stretched back more than 10 miles to Ga. 316 for more than an hour after the crash was cleared, the Traffic Center reported. At its worst, commuters experienced “parking lot conditions,” WSB traffic reporter Mark Arum said.

There were “parking lot conditions” on I-85 South at Pleasant Hill Road. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)

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The Traffic Center was routing drivers onto Ga. 316, Lawrenceville Highway and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard as alternate routes while traffic recovered.

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