Police Identify Men Killed In Rollover Crash On I-75

EMERSON, GA — The Emerson Police Department has released the identities of the two men who died early Wednesday in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 75.

Manuel Ramirez Barrita, 47, and Cesar Estevez Nunez, 33, were pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, which occurred on the northbound of the interstate just north of Red Top Mountain Road, said Police Chief Kyle Teems.

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. First responders arrived to find a white Ford E250 van overturned on its roof along the right shoulder. A total of three people, including the men who died, were inside the van.

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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 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, Teems added.

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