2 Killed In Rollover Crash On I-75 In Bartow County

EMERSON, GA — Two people died Wednesday morning in two-vehicle accident involving a van and a tractor trailer on Interstate 75 in Bartow County.

Emerson police, Bartow County EMS and Bartow Fire Department personnel were all dispatched to the two-vehicle crash around 6:20 a.m. Wednesday, May 9 on the northbound side of the interstate north of the Red Top Mountain Road interchange.

First responders arrived to find a white Ford E250 van overturned on its roof along the right shoulder. Three people were inside the vehicle, and two of those motorists were pronounced dead at the scene, Emerson police said in a press release.

A preliminary investigation of the accident indicates the van's driver side back tire blew out, which caused its driver to lose control, "go into a spin" and overturn onto its top, the agency added. The tractor trailer collided with the van only after the smaller vehicle lost control and veered over into the tractor trailer's lane of travel.

The driver of the van, 40-year-old Armondo Pompa-Nateras, did not show any obvious signs of injuries, but was transported by Bartow EMS to Cartersville Medical Center for observation. The identities of the two men killed in the accident, who are 33 years old and 47 years old, respectively, are being withheld until their next of kin can be notified. Bartow County Coroner Joel Guyton said the men were traveling in a van owned by a pool company.

The other vehicle involved in the crash was a tractor trailer belonging to Holland Trucking of Holland, Michigan. Its driver, Rodney Damm of Troy, Illinois, was not injured, and police determined he was not at fault in the accident.

No charges are expected to be filed at this time.

Image via Shutterstock