Friday, August 2, 2002

I-85 crash kills pedestrian, snarls traffic Tuesday afternoon

A pedestrian from a disabled vehicle was struck and killed on I-85 south in Fulton County Tuesday afternoon, snarling traffic for miles as two lanes of traffic were closed for approximately four hours.

The pedestrian was on the shoulder of the interstate when he was struck and killed by a vehicle which had spun out of control after striking a trailer that was pulled behind another vehicle, according to Trooper First Class Ed Shiver of the Georgia State Patrol. The victim, a Latino male, was flown by medical helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, Shiver said.

A second pedestrian was also injured during the incident but was treated and released from the hospital, Shiver said.

The incident occurred approximately half a mile south of the Ga. Highway 138 exit for Union City, the trooper said. Two lanes were closed for four hours but one of the lanes was reopened after that point, Shiver said. The interstate wasn't totally cleared until seven hours after the collision, Shiver said.

The investigation of the incident is still ongoing and names of the motorists and pedestrians involved were being withheld as of press time Thursday afternoon since Shiver was unsure if the victim's family had been notified yet and charges may be pending against one of the motorists.

The accident is also being investigated by the GSP's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team.

John Munford