A three-car crash tied up traffic on Ga. Highway 74 near Peachtree Parkway for more than three hours Friday night, sending six people to the hospital.

According to a preliminary investigation by the Peachtree City Police Department, Harvey Fernandez of Peachtree City was heading north on Hwy. 74 approaching Peachtree Parkway while Luljeta Topalli of Peachtree City was going south on Hwy. 74 and turning left onto Peachtree Parkway. At the same time, Michael Doyle of Peachtree City was going north on Peachtree Parkway, stopped while waiting to merge onto Hwy. 74.

The report indicates that Fernandez failed to stop for a red light, causing his 1999 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup to hit the passenger’s side of Topalli’s 1998 Honda Civic. The impact forced the Civic to collide with the driver’s side of Doyle’s 2001 Ford Taurus, the report indicated.

Two persons were seriously injured in the crash, according to the police report: Shkurte Topalli, 18, and Shyhrete Topalli, 25, who were in Luljeta Topalli’s 1998 Honda Civic. At the time of the crash, they were considered to be in critical condition and they were flown by medical helicopters to Grady Memorial Center.

Four others were also taken to the hospital for treatment, including Fernandez, whose truck flipped onto its side and Adelide Frenandez, 61, of Peachtree City and Maria Hebar, 56, of Pinebroke Pines, Fla. along with a third passenger from Topalli’s vehicle, Farbardha Topalli, 20, of Peachtree City.

The report has not yet been finalized and the investigation is ongoing, police indicated.

Traffic had to be diverted around the crash scene so the injured persons could be treated and so the scene could be studied to determine how the crash occurred. Volunteers from the city’s auxillary police division came to the scene to help direct traffic.