Multi-Vehicle Accident Shuts Down I-24

A multi-vehicle accident occurred on Monday, Aug. 1, on Interstate 24 East near Interstate 59, in Dade County.

Georgia State Patrol provided the following preliminary details as the crash is still under investigation.

According to Lt. Michael Burns, Public Information Director for Georgia State Patrol, Troopers from Post 41 Lafayette, responded to the multivehicle crash at 1:28 p.m. Deputies from the Dade County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene.

“Troopers on scene determined there were three separate crashes which resulted in the closing all lanes of Interstate 24 East,” Burns said.

The first crash involved four vehicles. A Dodge truck pulling a fifth wheel trailer was traveling east on I-24 when traffic stopped ahead. The Dodge truck struck a white Ford Focus, which struck a Ryder box truck, which struck a Freightliner commercial motor vehicle. This crash is currently being investigated by Georgia State Patrol.

The second crash involved a gray GMC truck, which was traveling east on I-24. The driver steered to the right to avoid the first crash, left the right shoulder of the roadway, and struck the embankment. This crash is being investigated by the Dade County Sheriff’s Office.

The third crash involved a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee towing a U-Haul trailer, a white Buick Encore, and a white Peterbilt commercial motor vehicle. The Jeep was unable to stop in time due to stopped traffic and struck the Buick Encore and the Peterbilt commercial motor vehicle. The Jeep came to an uncontrolled final rest under the trailer of the Peterbilt. This crash is currently being investigated by Georgia State Patrol.

The driver and passenger of the Jeep were both transported by Dade EMS to Erlanger Hospital for treatment. These are the only reported injuries from all three crashes.