ELLABELLE, Ga. (AP) – Five people died early Wednesday in a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 16 west of Savannah that authorities said began when a tractor-trailer failed to slow down and smashed into stop-and-go traffic.
Those killed were traveling in two passenger vehicles mangled by the crash. The tractor-trailer plowed into an SUV, then rolled over a small passenger car that burst into flames, said Sgt. 1st Class Chris Nease of the Georgia State Patrol. The big truck came to a halt after slamming into the back of a tanker.
A total of seven vehicles ended up damaged in the collision and three additional people were injured.
The deadly crash happened at about 6 a.m. on the highway that connects Macon and Savannah. Despite the early hour, Nease said, traffic was heavy because an unrelated wreck about a mile ahead was forcing motorists move at a slow pace.
“Traffic was sort of stop-and-go when the tractor-trailer came along and struck one of the passenger vehicles in the rear,” Nease said. “We’re still trying to piece it all together. It’s a terrible day.”