The Georgia State Patrol is looking for a truck driver who they say was involved in a fatal multi-vehicle crash on I-16 early this morning.
Three Trucks And One Car Involved In Fatal I-16 Collision
NEW DETAILS: Driver of semi truck involved has died, 2 taken to hospital at this I-16 wreck @WGXAnews pic.twitter.com/opSBwm5Rkk
— Eric Mock (@EricWGXA) October 18, 2017
Police say that the crash occurred around 5:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-16 near mile marker 12 in Twiggs County. During the initial collision, two semi trucks and a Ford Explorer crashed, leaving one of the truck drivers dead.
From Georgia State Trooper Brian Jones:
“One 18-wheeler rear ended another one, somehow in the mix a Ford Explorer began to overturn and the driver of that one was taken to the hospital. One of the 18-wheelers drivers was deceased. He was fatal when we got here.”
Shortly after the two trucks and Ford Explorer crashed, a third semi truck crashed into the overturned Ford Explorer, according to Jones. Troopers say that the Ford Explorer driver had already exited the vehicle by the time that the secondary crash occurred.
Fifty-seven year old Florida-based truck driver Archie March was pronounced dead at the scene. March’s truck was badly damaged in the crash and crews were forced to use the Jaws of Life to extract him.
A passenger in March’s truck and the driver of the Ford Explorer were both transported to the hospital for treatment of non-lifethreatening injuries.
Georgia Troopers Seek Hit and Run Driver
Jones says the the driver of the one of the trucks involved in the crash is considered to be a hit and run because though he initially stopped to help other crash victims, he left the scene before police arrived:
“Witnesses say that he was here. He was actually helping out helping people get out of the vehicles and things like that. When he learned of law enforcement approaching and getting close by, he went ahead and left the scene.”
The Georgia State Patrol wants to to talk to the driver to find out why he left and what his role was in the crash. The truck driver in question was described as a 55 year old man who is 5’8″ and 165 to 190 pounds with a white goatee. He was reportedly wearing blue jeans and workboots and a blue or green shirt. He was said to be driving a white truck with a white “van” trailer with substantial damage to the rear.
#BREAKING UPDATE: State Patrol looking for truck driver involved in fatal accident who left the scene @WGXAnews pic.twitter.com/X4ZDeX6EYz
— Eric Mock (@EricWGXA) October 18, 2017
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, though troopers say that their initial belief is that some of the vehicles may have been following too closely..The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team was called in to assist.
The crash shutdown westbound I-16 for hours, resulting in heavy traffic delays.
Westbound I-16 traffic has been halted since before 6 a.m. Lanes will be closed for a while. pic.twitter.com/Z31PD2vl1c
— Liz Jarvis Fabian (@liz_lines) October 18, 2017