Police say a truck driver “presumably fell asleep” after crashing through a barrier wall in a wreck that ejected the driver and shut down the highway.
The accident happened on Monday, July 9th at around 5:30 a.m. in Cobb County, Georgia. According to WSBTV News, the unnamed truck driver was hauling scrap metal in his rig along Interstate 75 when it initially hit a guardrail and scraped along a barrier wall for about a quarter mile before knocking over a metal guardrail and crashing through a large concrete sound barrier wall.
Three large wreckers trying to upright truck after early morning crash and fire. It took out barrier wall and sound panels. One NB on 75 getting by now @AshleyFrascaWSB @mckayWSB @WSBTraffic #ATLTraffic pic.twitter.com/YPeV03qQw0
— Steve Gehlbach (@SteveGWSB) July 9, 2018
The force of the impact overturned the big rig, began a small fire, and ejected the driver, critically injuring him, and he was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. 
“The driver presumably fell asleep, causing him to drift off the road,” said Cobb County police spokeswoman Officer Sarah O’Hara in a statement. The crash forced the closure of the northbound lanes of I-75 just north of Wade Green Road for the duration of rush hour. Drivers used Highway 74, Interstate 575 north, and Highway 92 as alternate routes, but the northbound lanes of I-75 were reopened at around 11:00 a.m.
Got the trailer (that was full of scrap metal) back upright just now https://t.co/x0xayRL2QO
— Steve Gehlbach (@SteveGWSB) July 9, 2018
The incident is still under investigation and the current health condition of the unnamed driver is not known. It is not clear if he will be cited for the incident.
