Driver Crashes Into Tractor Trailer On I-75 In Cherokee County

ACWORTH, GA -- A motorist was airlifted to an area hospital Tuesday morning following a two-vehicle collision on the southbound side of Interstate 75 in Cherokee County.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, a 2014 Hyundai Elantra was traveling southbound in the right lane around 7:40 a.m. at mile marker 276 while a tractor trailer was parked on the right shoulder. The driver of the passenger vehicle, identified as Denise Hopson, 60, of Cartersville, "left the right edge of the roadway and struck the parked tractor-trailer in the rear."

The state agency also told Patch that the vehicle "slid under" the tractor trailer following the collision.

Hopson had to be extricated from the vehicle and airlifted to WellStar Kennestone Hospital. The driver of the tractor trailer, Colman Prendergast, 58, of Lauderhill, Florida, did not suffer any injuries.

All three lanes of I-75 were blocked, and traffic was diverted off S.R. 92 while emergency crews worked the scene of the accident. The Georgia State Patrol said charges are pending in the crash.

Return to Patch for updates.

Image via Georgia DOT