COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Two people are dead after a crash on Interstate 75 northbound in Acworth, Ga., according to a report from WSB-TV.
The crash, which closed lanes on I-75 and snarled traffic for hours, happened around 8:45 a.m. near the Wade Green Road and Hickory Grove Road exits. One of the vehicles involved was a Papa Johns semi truck which overturned.
Investigators say the crash involved three vehicles, including two tractor-trailers and a pickup truck pulling a flatbed trailer.
Police say a red 2023 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer was traveling north in the right lane when the driver failed to maintain his lane and struck another Freightliner traveling beside it.
Authorities say the impact caused a chain-reaction crash. The first truck then moved back toward the right lane, while a Ram 3500 pickup behind it crashed into the rear of its trailer.
The pickup was forced across multiple lanes of traffic, while the tractor-trailer continued to lose control, eventually overturning and crashing into a sound barrier wall along the shoulder.
The driver of the overturned truck, 28-year-old Zory Beavers of Conyers, and a passenger, 42-year-old Royan Osborne of Norcross, were both pronounced dead at the scene.
The other drivers involved were not injured, according to police.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
