A Florida man has been arrested in connection with a deadly tractor-trailer crash that blocked I-20 between I-285 and Fulton Industrial Boulevard for hours, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Mario Vilan Polier, 53, of Hialeah, Fla., faces charges of improper lane change, following too closely and second-degree homicide by vehicle, according to the the news station.
The Georgia State Patrol said the crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. Thursday when an eastbound tractor-trailer driven by Polier overturned onto its passenger side. The truck crashed into a concrete barrier between the eastbound and westbound lanes, and hit a second tractor-trailer as well as two passenger vehicles in the eastbound lanes.
Debris from the concrete barrier went into the westbound lanes, striking two vehicles, the GSP said. One of the drivers died. He was identified by the GSP as William Aaron Whitaker, 20, of Carrollton.
Three other people were injured in the crash, according to the agency. Their conditions were not released.
The fatal wreck shut down eastbound I-20 and all but one westbound lane Thursday night, authorities said.
The incident brought traffic to a standstill on I-20 back to Thornton Road, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. The off-ramp from I-285 to I-20 East was also blocked.
It took crews 10 hours to clean up before reopening lanes early Friday, according to the news station.
Crews still need to repair the concrete barrier that was damaged in the crash.
Polier is in the Fulton County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bond, according to Channel 2.
No other details have been released.
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