The driver who died early Thursday in a fiery one-vehicle crash outside a Kroger in northeast Atlanta has been identified.

Michael O. Chapple, 37, of Cleveland, Tenn., was the motorist whose vehicle hit a metal utility pole, split in two and caught fire, said a spokeswoman for the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office on Saturday. No other details were released.

The fatal crash happened after the motorist struck another vehicle from behind about 1 a.m. and did not stop, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

The driver passed Ponce City Market, continued east, and lost control of his vehicle. That’s when the vehicle, a 2008 Honda, hit the metal pole.

No other injuries were reported in this accident.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Mark Moczarski awoke from a two-week coma just as he was being put on a plane to fly back to Georgia. He is now being treated at Northside Hospital Gwinnett. (Courtesy Moczarski family)

Credit: Family Photo

Featured

Travelers walk around the baggage claim in the South Terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Atlanta is among the airports where the FAA will reduce flights due to the shutdown, and airports are facing a shortage of air traffic controllers. 
(Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez