Published Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Truck Shuts Down I-85 - Overturned rig skids 100 feet

By Elizabeth Melville

The Newnan Times-Herald

Traffic was shut down on Interstate 85 southbound for a couple of hours Monday night following a tractor-trailer accident just north of Exit 56/Collinsworth Road, Palmetto.

The accident occurred at approximately 10 p.m. when the driver of a tractor-trailer rig lost control of the vehicle. It overturned and skidded at least 100 feet down the interstate before coming to a stop on its side across all southbound lanes, according to a spokesperson for the Georgia State Patrol Newnan post.

Witnesses on the scene said they saw the driver's rig exit the interstate onto the right shoulder of the road, pull to the left and begin to fishtail.

The condition and the identity of the driver was not available Tuesday from the state patrol.

Traffic was shut down for well over an hour because the scene took "a long time to clean up," according to the state patrol post spokesperson.

This is at least three large trucks that have overturned in recent days on I-85 in the highway's construction zones in South Fulton and Coweta counties. Various lane shifts and other construction conditions make the interstate driving dangerous. There was no information if the construction contributed the the Monday night wreck.