A series of crashes on Interstate 75 northbound near Ringgold Wednesday morning left one person seriously injured, resulted in citations for two drivers and shut down the interstate for more than an hour.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, the Ringgold Police Department requested assistance investigating the multi-vehicle crash between mile markers 347 and 348 around 8:18 a.m. on October 7.
Investigators determined that three separate crashes occurred in a chain reaction that began when a pickup truck rear-ended a sedan.
The initial collision was followed by another crash involving a sedan that sideswiped another vehicle. Those two collisions blocked the middle and left lanes of the interstate, causing traffic to back up.
As vehicles began slowing and stopping, a station wagon collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer. The driver of the station wagon suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital.
Ringgold police initially reported that two people were injured in the crashes. One person was hospitalized with severe injuries, while another was treated by paramedics at the scene and released.
Georgia State Patrol officials said two drivers received citations following the investigation.
The driver of the pickup truck involved in the initial rear-end collision was cited for following too closely, while the sedan driver involved in the sideswipe collision was cited for an improper lane change.
The crash involving the station wagon and tractor-trailer remains under investigation.
The crashes forced authorities to close all northbound lanes of Interstate 75 near Ringgold while emergency crews responded and investigators examined the scene.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, the interstate was closed from approximately 8:18 a.m. until 9:43 a.m., when the roadway reopened to traffic.
The Georgia Department of Transportation also reported the closure near Alabama Highway.
Authorities have not released additional information about the condition of the hospitalized driver.