Wreck involving transfer trucks shuts down I-75 southbound for hours on Saturday
A wreck Saturday morning on I-75 southbound between exits 310 in Gordon County and 306 in Adairsville shut down the interstate for most of the day, diverting traffic to an already congested Highway 41.
According to the official Georgia State Patrol incident report, the accident occurred around 9 a. m. on May 6, when a car- hauler tractor trailer, carrying nine cars, was traveling south on I-75 in the emergency lane below the minimum speed required. According to the GSP, investigators were told by the driver that he was in the emergency lane due to transmission issues and had his hazard lights on. The car hauler, an Option One carrier out of South Carolina, then merged left into the right, or “slow” lane and was hit by another tractor trailer, a W2 Logistic carrier, based out of Illinois.
Both tractor trailers caught fire upon impact, and the car- hauler lost at least three of its cars. The car- hauler traveled off the west shoulder into the ditch approximately 966 feet before coming to a final rest. The other tractor trailer traveled approximately 462 feet after impact before coming to a stop.
A third vehicle, a Toyota Camry, traveling in the middle southbound lane, was struck by debris causing minor damage to the vehicle.
Charlton McBride, 44, of Irmo, S. C., the driver of the car- hauler, was transported by Gordon EMS to Gordon Hospital with a non- life threatening neck injury. The driver of the other tractor trailer, Dewayne Rose, 56, of Illinois, was transported by EMS to Floyd Medical Center with head injuries. The female driver of the Camry, from Soddy Daisy, Tenn., had no serious injuries and was not transported.
McBride was issued three citations by GSP: failure to yield when entering roadway, operating an unsafe vehicle and driving in the emergency lane for non-emergency purposes.
All lanes of I- 75 southbound were reopened shortly after 7 p. m. on Saturday.