TRAFFIC UPDATE: Motorcyclist killed in wreck that shut down I-85 in Gwinnett

A fatal motorcycle crash in Gwinnett County shut down I-85 for several hours on Saturday afternoon, snarling traffic in both directions as police investigated.

The wreck happened about 2 p.m. when the motorcycle rider slammed into the back of an SUV in the northbound HOV lane near the Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road exit, authorities said. The momentum from the high-speed collision launched the rider and the motorcycle over the median wall and into the southbound lanes, Suwanee police Lt. Robert Thompson said. The motorcycle then landed on the top of a pickup truck traveling south on I-85.

Police shut down I-85 for about four hours and all traffic was diverted off the interstate. The deadly wreck caused I-85 to back up for miles in both directions and the Georgia Department of Transportation urged motorists to avoid the area altogether.

Richard Moore Hardison, 36, of Duluth was identified as the motorcyclist and died at the scene, Thompson said. Four occupants from the pickup were transported to medical facilities for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the SUV was treated and released at the scene.

Police began to reopen the northbound lanes began about 5 p.m., Thompson said. The southbound lanes were expected to reopen shortly after 6 p.m.

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