BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — Update: Around 6 a.m. Friday, authorities notified 11Alive that all lanes had reopened.
Original story:
All lanes of I-75 south near mile-marker 293 in Bartow County will remain shut down until early Friday morning as crews work to resurface the interstate after a deadly and fiery crash involving three tractor-trailers Thursday.
The Georgia Department of Transportation advised drivers to detour at Exit 293 at Cassville-White Road until the interstate has been resurfaced and is safe to drive on again.
Georgia State Patrol said its investigation determined that an unknown color tractor-trailer, a blue tractor-trailer and a white tractor-trailer were traveling south on I-75, along with a box truck and a blue car.
"As traffic began to slow, the front of the unknown color tractor-trailer struck the rear of the blue tractor trailer, causing the front of the blue tractor trailer to strike the rear of the white tractor-trailer," GSP said in a release.
GSP added that upon impact, the first tractor-trailer (the one with the unknown color) became engulfed in flames. According to GSP, a chain reaction then took place where it traveled into the middle lane, hitting the back of the box truck. The box truck then hit the back of a car.
"The driver of the unknown color tractor trailer along with the passenger of the blue tractor trailer were pronounced deceased on scene," GSP said.
The driver of the blue tractor-trailer was taken to Kennestone Wellstar by EMS, according to GSP.
GSP said its Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is also investigating the crash.
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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