HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Four people were killed when two tractor-trailers and a pickup truck collided, sparking a massive fire that shut down all lanes of I-75 north in Henry County Thursday.
The wreck happened near Highway 155 and shut down the highway for most of the afternoon. The highway was cleared around 5:45 p.m.
Police say two trucks and a pickup truck were involved in the crash. The four people in the truck were killed, according the Henry County Fire Department. The driver of one of the tractor-trailers was taken to the hospital.
Incident I-75 northbound near mile post 216. All lanes blocked; tractor trailer on fire. pic.twitter.com/vvpvuAm5rY
— Georgia DOT (@GADeptofTrans) May 16, 2019
Police said that a tractor-trailer hauling rubber slowed down in traffic. A pickup truck with four people inside pulling a trailer of pine straw also slowed down. A second tractor-trailer hit the rear end of the pickup, pushing it into the other tractor-trailer and sparking a fire.
All four people in the pickup truck were killed. The truck was registered in Laurens County, but the victims' identities have not been released until next of kin is notified.
Channel 2's Tom Jones was in Henry County, where multiple emergency vehicles were at the crash site for the majority of the afternoon.
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At one point, GDOT cameras showed officials turning traffic around on the highway. Cars were then rerouted at the Highway 155 northbound exit ramp.
The fire broke out just as emergency crews cleared another serious crash involving an overturned tractor-trailer and several cars on I-75 north earlier Thursday.
That crash shut down all lanes of I-75 north at the I-675 split and snarled traffic for miles.
DOT camera footage showed at least two cars involved in the crash and the tractor-trailer on its side across most of the lanes. Several ambulances and fire trucks were also at the scene. It's unclear if anyone was injured.
NewsChopper 2 was over the scene, where a load of Sheetrock appeared to have fallen off the truck. Crews brought in heavy equipment to move the materials to the side of the road.
A more up close look as crews are working to clean up the debris on I-75 NB at I-675z pic.twitter.com/vLIP8tCB1C
— Georgia DOT (@GADeptofTrans) May 16, 2019
Working to get I-75 NB at I-675 re-opened ASAP. pic.twitter.com/GuJJ6Uq5Nk
— Georgia DOT (@GADeptofTrans) May 16, 2019
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