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Published Friday, March 20, 2009 in Local
Photo by Jeffrey Leo
2nd truck wreck this week in same spot
The Times-Herald
A tractor-trailer rig crashed and burned on Interstate 85 southbound in north Coweta Thursday night -- in the exact spot that a similar wreck occurred Monday.
A truck hauling bags of sawdust pet bedding for PetSmart overturned about 100 yards north of Exit 56/Collinsworth Road around 8:45 p.m. Thursday. This time the cab of the truck caught fire, and the fire spread to the trailer. Firefighters had to cut into the trailer to extinguish the fire, said Deputy Chief Bill Haynes of the Coweta County Fire Department. Crews also used some of the bags of bedding to try and contain leaking diesel fuel and keep it from running into a nearby stream. Though the tractor was destroyed and diesel fuel was everywhere, there were no explosions, Haynes said.
The female driver, whose name was not available, said a motorist cut her off while she was heading south on Interstate 85, said Lt. Paul Cosper, public information officer with the Georgia State Patrol. "When the car cut her off, she traveled off the right side of the road," Cosper said. When the truck's driver attempted to get her rig back on the road, she overcorrected, crossed into the left lane and struck the concrete barrier, which caused the truck to overturn.
The driver was not injured but was taken by Coweta Emergency Medical Services to be checked out, Cosper said. No charges will be filed against the driver. A witness corroborated the driver's story.
The accident caused hours of traffic backups for drivers heading southbound on 85.
Christie Mappin and her daughters, Maggie, Kaylee and Elle, spent four hours trying to travel the five miles between Hwy. 74 and Collinsworth Road. It was the second time this week Kaylee and Elle spent hours sitting in traffic along the same stretch. They and their father, Don, got caught in the traffic from Monday's tractor-trailer accident.
"It's crazy. I told my husband we're not going 85 anymore until all this construction is done," she said.
Mappin said she had just passed the exit ramp at Hwy. 74 when she encountered the traffic. "Had we known, we would have gotten off," she said. They spent two hours completely stopped, and the next two hours crawling along until they got off at Exit 56.
While traffic was at a standstill, some travelers were out of their cars talking and mingling. "Nobody got irate," Mappin said, but she was worried about running out of gas.
There is a dropoff of several inches from the pavement to the dirt shoulder of the road in the area of the accident. Georgia Department of Transportation spokesperson Kimberly Larson said DOT crews were inspecting the roadway Friday afternoon.
That particular dropoff will no longer be a problem after Sunday, however. Sunday is the scheduled date for a lane shift along the stretch from Hwy. 74 to Collinsworth Road. The existing three travel lanes will be reduced to two, matching the changes that have already taken place farther south and on the northbound side of the interstate. Traffic will move to the two inside lanes.
Cosper cautioned drivers to be very careful in the construction zones and to guard against overcorrecting.
"When you drop off the shoulder, people panic instead of guiding it up on the road," he said. "Don't hit your brakes. Try to guide the car back up on the road" without any hard movements.
But the average person doesn't think of that when the situation occurs, Cosper said. "Just like driving on ice," or hydroplaning, "the first thing you want to do is put the brakes on ... when you should just let your foot off the accelerator."
Drivers in construction zones should obey the speed limit and make sure they aren't following too closely. Drivers should always keep a "safety barrier" of five or six car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them. And stay out of other vehicles' blind spots, especially big rigs, Cosper said.
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At the very least the police could have done is direct traffic off at exit! They should have put the cones up to close the lanes and direct traffic off at previous exit. I know that this could have been done as I was in that mess. I saw all the people backing up and going backwards on the on ramp. It was a MESS and as someone said previously "THANK GOD that no one was killed". This time!!
Posted by Mo Durden at 7:59 PM
Actually there are or were a number of variable message signs that were required for this project. These signs can be remotely edited to provide up-to-date information. Alas, it appears the contractor is just too lazy to do so.
Posted by citizen at 12:54 PM
Have heard about alot of accidents happening since the construction has started. Some lives have been taken in result of the accidents....They need to hurry this construction up so no one else gets injured because of the construction zone..IMO
Posted by TRUCKER at 9:29 PM
It's amazing no one was killed!I Know this is a dangerous section of roadway and it seems know one seems to understand how to slow down even if it's marked for construction. The soft dirt shoulders actually pull you into the shoulder and i can see where this driver might have panicked and overcorrected and made a bad situation worse!As for sitting in traffic i'm sure DOT can get those mobil electric signs and place in construction areas warning drivers about situations ahead. I've seen other states do it!
Posted by Mike A. at 2:48 PM
Seems odd to me that the DOT is so zealous about protecting their workers (and well they should be), but no regard is given to the motorists who drive the roads each day. Ridiculous that there are no emergency lanes. As for the dirt shoulder along southbound I-85, it's a wonder no one was killed as a result.
Posted by Concerned at 1:58 PM
It would be nice if there was a sign hanging over the interstate near most exits that would be updated to reflect if there is an accident shutting down all lanes or of traffic back up, in this case STAND STILL! If I had known before I approached the back up 1 mile from Palmetto exit,I could have gotten off in P'tree City and gotten home that way!!!! There needs to be some kind of notice posted.
Posted by Kelli at 1:17 PM
Oh yea- why are the meriweather county sheriff cars in coweta county? I am sure Coweta has enough patrol cars, they can park there and do the same as the Meriwether does. They are just sitting there anyhow, doing nothing. ?
Posted by I-85 driver daily at 1:07 PM
I drive this interstate daily, you must pay attention to everything around you. No cellphones, no applying make-up, nothing. But just drive and keep your eyes on the road and your surrondings. Even though this is a dangerous roadway, the gravel trucks are very dangerous, they will pull out in front of you and make you slam on brakes. Then the will throw rocks all over your car causing cracks, dents.
Posted by I-85 driver daily at 1:04 PM
I was also stuck in this traffic on Thursday night. It took me four hours to get home from work! This article only mentions the semi accident. What about the multiple vehicle crash that occurred as a result of the traffic backup and required two Life Flight helicopters? What happened to those people? Does anyone have details?
Posted by S.Gray at 11:42 PM
I have come to the conclussion that the State of Georgia just doesn't care! A year ago super bowl Sunday I was on Channel 2 action news. I had contacted them in regards to the death of the man who's car broke down on hwy 85 and he "HAD NOWHERE TO GO". Does anyone have the figures of how many more accidents there have been? How many more people have died? My question is HOW MANY DOES IT TAKE? If you ask me one was too many and I see no end in sight in the near future.
Posted by Mo Durden at 10:33 PM
I agree repair work was necessary, but the work being done here is not repair work. They are adding lanes and putting up a concrete barrier for around 60 miles of interstate. If it was just repair work they could have started that a couple of years ago, when this massive project started, and have already been done for much less money than this project is costing. I am really worried about what is going to happen when the big spring storms start to come and we are down to two lanes with poor drainage on the roads. I am afraid this spring and summer we will have many more 2 hour plus delays on this section of interstate. Thankfully I get to work from home now and will not have to worry about it too often.
Posted by Scott at 9:36 PM
Scott, you obviously have not driven it recently. Yes, there were 3 lanes but two of those lanes were so bad you couldn't drive on them without fear of a blow-out. The repair work is necessary!
Posted by Liz at 9:43 PM
Hello I would like to know about the car crash that happen friday 3-20-09 the car when in the air Thank You Durr
Posted by durr at 9:39 PM
I guess you could listein to the radio or watch the Atlanta news all have coverage for our area. I guess they could put warning signs on the interstate on ramps.The newspaper could post updates immedialy on their website. There are no big billboard type warning signs in this area.
Posted by c at 6:15 PM
How are they going to enforce the speed limit? There is no place to pull anyone over!!! There is no emergency lane due to the way this construction is being done. I hear a story of someone recently that had a tire blow out, they had to drive for miles on the tire and caused extensive damage to the car because there is no place for someone to pull over. This entire project is a waste, didn't we have 3 lanes before all this started? We rarely have bad traffic on I-85 south this far down. What is the point here?
Posted by Scott at 5:47 PM
If I have to take I-85 N, I will travel Hwy 29 to Union City and then get on I-85. If I have to take I-85 S, I will either take Old Corinth Rd into Lagrange or go through Grantville and get on 85 in Hogansville. I will not take I-85 through Coweta until this mess is finished!
Posted by Nicole at 3:19 PM
Suggestion: how can we "get the word out," to avoid such traffic back-ups? Do Electronic signs, give such alerts? Radio news / traffic alerts? Seems like there should be a way we can "pass the word" along...
Posted by Concerned Citizen at 2:27 PM
They need to make the speed limit 50 mph. Also enforce it thats the major problem. Another idea for safety ban the use of cell phones in contruction zones with a fine. The speed limit enforcement even at its current rate would bring much needed money to the county.
Posted by Ron at 12:17 PM
I also got caught up in this traffic mess on Thursday night. As I passed exit 61 I saw a line of cars backing up on I85 to get off the road. I was able to also make my way "back" up the interstate and take Hwy 29 home. But I kept asking myself... Why weren't we warned of this wreck? By the time I had gotten to the area it was after 10pm and they should have had a HERO unit or the overhead traffic warning signs (that are seldom if ever used) turned on to advise approaching drivers. Isn't that what they are supposed to be doing? Assisting drivers so they can avoid potential traffic accidents or delays?
Posted by Allen at 9:45 AM
how can people be so crazy when they drive what are they think when they cut of a big rig. i am scared to death of them i can stand for one to be around me when i am in my car but Interstate 85 would not be as bad if people would slow the crap down and know what around them dont forget the big rig drivers have familys to know so try and slow down and not get anybody kiiled if u sit their for 30 mins so what u kniow what going on if you dont like it go another way
Posted by cassandra at 9:07 AM
"Drivers should always keep a "safety barrier" of five or six car lengths between themselves and the car in front of them." Some (a lot) idiots tail me, and others, so closely that I can not see their headlights in my rear view mirror. They are the accident causing creeps and it makes me so angry. They endanger my life and the life of my kids. I have learned to just let off the accelerator and slow down slowly, pull off somewhere, let them pass, and then pull right back on behind then. A good distance behind them, of course. It's a subtle, fairly safe way to let them know they are are morons.
Posted by Too many tailgaters in Coweta County at 8:24 AM
Why in the world are the creating a two lane southbound scenario when they could concentrate on only the northbound lanes first, fix it, return it to three lanes, and then work on the southbound lanes? By the way, wasn't this whole thing supposed to have been completed by the end of 2008?
Posted by Andrew at 8:20 AM
Why can they pay Meriwether police to sit in two cars (easy money) on 34 at 85 for bridge work. But they can't put a car at exit 61. To warn drivers of the traffic accident. I came through two hours after the incident on Monday and no warning! Thanks to our quick thinking officials I sat for another two hours and add to the burden of the clean-up crews. Thanks Georgia!
Posted by Confused at 11:49 PM
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Exit 56 Wreck
3/31/2009
Link To This Comment
There was another single car wreck yesterday at the same spot. Not sure if the lady made it because there has been no news coverage. Helicopter took her away. Bad damage.
Posted by 85 Traveler at 9:20 AM