A tractor-trailer driver was killed in a crash that blocked lanes on I-20 West in Douglasville throughout the morning commute Thursday.
The wreck was reported shortly after 3:30 a.m., according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. The interstate was completely blocked just east of Lee Road until one lane reopened around 7 a.m. For the better part of seven hours, until lanes reopened around 10:40 a.m., traffic was at a near standstill, with backups stretching more than 5 miles to Riverside Parkway.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, the tractor-trailer was traveling west in the far left lane as a Honda Accord was going in the same direction in the middle lane. The vehicles made contact with each other, sending the Accord into the median and the tractor-trailer toward the shoulder, where it overturned before hitting the guardrail.
Update: Moved to the right shoulder. Delays remain. #ATLtraffic https://t.co/wRj5isGrf2
— Triple Team Traffic (@WSBTraffic) August 24, 2023
An abandoned Nissan Altima was also found a short distance from the crash and is suspected to have been involved, but investigators could not confirm whether it was hit after being abandoned or if its occupants left following the crash.
The big rig driver was not publicly identified, and no additional information has been released.
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