A 58-year-old man was killed in a crash on I-75 in Clayton County that backed up traffic for several hours before the morning rush Friday, according to police.
Clayton County officers were already investigating a crash with injuries on I-75 northbound near Forest Parkway, the department said. All lanes were closed and a tractor-trailer was stopped in one of the lanes due to the crash ahead.
That’s when investigators believe the driver of a Chevrolet SUV struck the rear of the tractor-trailer at a high rate of speed, according to police. The impact caused the SUV to go under the trailer.
The driver of the SUV, Peter DeToffoli, died on impact, police said.
The crash shut down the northbound lanes near Tara Boulevard around 3:35 a.m. About 10 minutes later, the department said one lane had reopened, allowing traffic to inch past the scene.
The remaining three lanes, however, remained closed until about 7:40 a.m., according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
The effects of the shutdown lingered until after 8 a.m. as traffic backed up from Tara Boulevard to Mt. Zion Road, according to GDOT.
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