All southbound lanes of Interstate 75 near Dalton were shut down for several hours Thursday after a wrong-way crash in Whitfield County left three people dead and sent another driver to the hospital. Authorities say all three who died were inside the suspect’s vehicle, and investigators are still working to identify the driver and understand what led to the incident.
According to the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, the situation began when a deputy spotted a vehicle weaving through traffic at high speed. Deputies believe the driver showed signs of impairment. After initially stopping, the driver got back into the vehicle, made a U-turn on the interstate, and began heading north in the southbound lanes.
Moments later, the vehicle collided head-on with a semi-truck. A third vehicle was also struck. The semi-truck driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, while the driver of the third vehicle was not hurt.
The Georgia State Patrol is leading the investigation, and officials say additional findings will be released once the review is complete.
The crash forced a shutdown of I-75 southbound beginning at Exit 345 in Catoosa County. Traffic was diverted onto Highway 41 as congestion stretched nearly 10 miles.