2 killed in crash on I-75NB in Bartow County during police pursuit
BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. - A fatal crash shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 in Bartow County on Monday morning.
The crash happened before 6 a.m. just before the exit for SR 140, Folsom Road, near mile marker 304.
The crash also affected traffic in the southbound lanes.
According to Calhoun Police Department, they were dispatched to a RaceTrac gas station in their area at around 5:45 a.m. in reference to a stolen vehicle. When officers arrived, the suspected thief took off, heading east on Highway 53 to the Calhoun bypass.
The driver, who was in a white Chevrolet Silverado, then made a right turn and headed back towards I-75. Upon entering the interstate, the driver began driving at speeds of over 90 mph.
The Calhoun officers were waiting for Georgia State Patrol to join them to assist in pursuing the driver when the suspected thief swerved into one of the patrol units and lost control of the vehicle.
"He did ram one of our police vehicles. And that caused him to lose control. He was traveling southbound on I-75 and that caused him to go down the embankment and cross over into the northbound lane," said Calhoun Chief of Police Tony Pyle.
The Silverado then struck a guardrail and overturned, hitting a Buick SUV that was also traveling north.
The driver of the Silverado was ejected, and the Silverado came to an uncontrolled stop. The driver of the suspected stolen vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Buick was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.
"It's early in the investigation, so we're kind of up in the air as to exactly why he chose to flee or if the vehicle is stolen," said Chief Pyle. "It's a very sad situation. This is a case where someone chose to flee instead of stop for whatever reason, and not only did they impact their life, but they've impacted the lives of several other people and their families."
A secondary crash involved a Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Genesis G70 that were traveling north on I-75.
Georgia State Patrol say the drivers took evasive action to evade the initial crash. The Toyota left the road where it overturned and was struck by the Hyundai. The driver of the Hyundai was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the Toyota suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident resulted in the interstate being shut down for several hours. Names will be released after relatives have been notified.
"I am very thankful that our officers are ok and our prayers go out to the family of everyone involved," said Chief Pyle.
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