“Traffic was sort of stop-and-go when the tractor-trailer came along and struck one of the passenger vehicles in the rear,” Nease said. “We’re still trying to piece it all together. It’s a terrible day.”The deadly crash happened at about 6 a.m. on the highway that connects Macon and Savannah. Despite the early hour, Nease said, traffic was heavy because an unrelated wreck about a mile ahead was forcing motorists move at a slow pace.
Those killed were traveling in two passenger vehicles mangled by the crash. The tractor-trailer plowed into an SUV, then rolled over a small passenger car that burst into flames, said Sgt. 1st Class Chris Nease of the Georgia State Patrol. The big truck came to a halt after slamming into the back of a tanker.
Nease said the driver of the tractor-trailer had not been cited as investigators worked to figure out exactly what happened. State troopers said weather conditions did not appear to be a factor.
State troopers Wednesday afternoon were still working to identify some of the five people killed, Nease said. Authorities planned to withhold their names until all of the victims’ families had been notified.
Two mangled passenger vehicles could be seen at the bottom of an embankment beside the interstate. In front of them, just off the highway, was a tractor-trailer with its cab smashed into the back of a tanker truck.ELLABELLE | Five people died early Wednesday in a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 16 west of Savannah that authorities said began when a tractor-trailer failed to slow down and smashed into stop-and-go traffic.Some motorists were stuck at a standstill for more than six hours as road crews and tow trucks worked to clear the wreckage. Even after those vehicles were allowed to pass, troopers kept a 6-mile stretch of eastbound I-16 closed as they continued to investigate the crash scene in Bryan County, about 20 miles west of Savannah. We’ve detected that JavaScript is disabled in this browser. Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using twitter.com. You can see a list of supported browsers in our Help Center. GDOT said engineers were already bringing in heavy equipment to demolish and replace part of the bridge. In the best-case scenario, state officials hope to reopen one westbound lane by Sunday morning and one eastbound lane by Monday. It will likely take a full week before all lanes are open again.A truck driving on Interstate 16 in Treutlen County struck the overpass, causing the bridge to shift about six feet. The Georgia Department of Transportation shared photos on social media that show the bridge dislodged from its concrete base.
I-16 bridge demo crew mobilizing to work around the clock to return traffic to interstate lanes ASAP. Stay tuned to thread. Will update when we have good info. pic.twitter.com/ECXz4ad2Ys“Apparently, the tractor-trailer has a dump bed similar to a dump truck,” said Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation. “It appears that it was raised, which then struck the bridge.”
SOPERTON, Ga. – Georgia transportation officials said hope to reopen an interstate that connects much of Georgia to its coastline by next week after a crash knocked a bridge overpass from its support beams.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The initial reporting Thursday said the truck was on I-16 and went through the guardrail. That was incorrect, as the truck was driving under GA-86 overpass when with its bed raised when it struck the bridge.
While traffic is only detoured off seven miles of I-16, the eastbound detour is 10 miles and the westbound detour is 24 miles — both through small towns not prepared to deal with this volume of traffic. 5AM | I-16 eastbound is closed after a crash just west of Chatham Parkway. Your alternates are Highway 80 and Ogeechee/HWY 17.#wtoctraffic @wtoc11 pic.twitter.com/TzMyjcpfh6 Details remain limited, but the eastbound portion of I-16 may remain closed into the heart of the Tuesday morning commute. Your alternates are Highway 80 or Highway 17/Ogeechee Road.
PREVIOUS STORY: A crash involving a large truck and car has closed I-16, eastbound, between Dean Forest and Chatham Parkway. Westbound traffic is not impacted.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Savannah Police have reopened all lanes of eastbound I-16 between the Chatham Parkway and Dean Forest Road exits after a fatal crash early Thursday morning.
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