The cause of a three-vehicle wreck in Georgia is still a mystery to investigators.
Seven people were killed and three were injured when a Ford Excursion traveling north on Interstate 85 in Franklin County crossed the median around exit 160 and struck a van traveling in the southbound lanes, Fox News reported.
The Chevrolet van then struck a third vehicle. Three of seven travelers in the Excursion and all four in the van were killed. Three others traveling in the Excursion were injured, one critically.
Two other vehicles suffered minor damage in the pileup. No one else was injured.
“A pile of twisted metal”
The crash occurred around 1:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and southbound lanes were closed until 8:00 p.m. Saturday while the incident was investigated by Georgia State Police and the state’s collision reconstruction team.
Drivers reported hours-long backups on I-85. Cell phone video showed mangled vehicles spread across the roadway.
A passerby after the crash said that the Excursion was nothing but “a pile of twisted metal” that was “unrecognizable.”
The names and ages of those killed have not yet been released by police, who are still identifying family members.
Those who were injured were taken to a nearby hospital.
“One of the worst”
Franklin County Sheriff Steve Thomas praised first responders who were on the scene, saying: “The deputies, fire departments, been EMS, Georgia State Patrol and, other state law enforcement officer were there. Our 911 did a fantastic job getting everything out there.”
A number of EMS vehicles, ambulances, and medical helicopters were at the scene to assist, AccessWDUN reported. The Franklin County Coroner’s office was also present.
A minister was also called to the scene to talk to family members. The Ed Murdock dealership in Lavonia sent a large passenger van to help collect the possessions of one of the families involved.
“This is one of the worst,” Sheriff Thomas said of the accident, which had a high number of fatalities compared to other wrecks with which he has assisted.
“There’s never a good wreck. You can call them an accident, but they’re motor vehicle crashes,” Thomas added. “Our hearts and prayers are with the victims, the families.”
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