>>I-285 E in Sandy Springs closed: The story as it unfolded
For the second time in as many weeks, a fatal pedestrian accident shut down all lanes of I-285 in Sandy Springs for several hours Friday morning.
Friday’s incident happened about 4:30 a.m. on I-285 eastbound at New Northside Drive, blocking all eastbound lanes until 8:30, when four eastbound lanes were reopened.
Later Friday, police identified the man killed as Jarvis Eddie Paul Cohen, 28, of Mableton.
According to the Georgia Department of Transportation and police at the scene, a motorist involved in an earlier two-vehicle crash got out of one of the wrecked vehicles and was hit by at least one other vehicle.
Sandy Springs police Sgt. Ron Momon said the initial wreck happened at about 4:30 a.m. when an eastbound BMW X5 sport utility vehicle was struck from behind by a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, which then collided with the median wall.
The BMW stopped in the right emergency lane, and the driver of the Chevrolet got out of the Tahoe and walked across the interstate to the right emergency lane.
“The driver attempted to walk back across the interstate towards his vehicle and was struck by a vehicle,” Momon said. “The male driver of the Chevy Tahoe was pronounced dead at the scene.”
All eastbound traffic was routed off the interstate at the Powers Ferry Road/New Northside Drive exit and onto the access road, then back onto I-285 at the New Northside entrance ramp for nearly four hours.
Just before 7:30 a.m., the ramps from I-75 southbound and northbound to I-285 eastbound were also shut down.
Eastbound traffic on I-285 backed up to beyond Atlanta Road, and I-75 southbound traffic was jammed with the closure of the I-285 ramp. Westbound traffic on I-285 was unaffected except for onlooker delays.
Four eastbound lanes were reopened at 8:30 a.m., and the remaining reopened five minutes later. The ramps from I-75 to I-285 eastbound were also reopened about 8:30.
All of the vehicles involved in Friday morning’s incident remained on the scene, Momon said.
That wasn't the case on Jan. 22, when the westbound lanes of I-285 were shut down for several hours after a woman was hit by multiple vehicles while walking along the interstate near Roswell Road.
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