Two people including a Newton County man were hurt in a crash that blocked rush hour traffic Tuesday morning.
Trooper 1st Class Cal Barton said a Dodge Charger traveling at a high rate of speed struck the back of a Ford F-150 pickup truck in the right westbound lane of Interstate 20, about a mile east of the Salem Road exit.
The 911 call came in at 6:52 a.m., and the crash scene was active for about two hours, Barton said.
#TRAVELADVISORY Rockdale Co: Crash w/ a car off the road on I-20/wb before Hwy 138 (Exit 82). At least 1 right lane blocked. Delays. Use Old Covington Hwy to avoid. #ATLtraffic pic.twitter.com/AZoQ5lt6Dr
— AJC WSB Traffic (@ajcwsbtraffic) May 29, 2018
Both vehicles traveled off the north shoulder, and the 2014 Dodge Charger struck the pole for an overhead sign. The driver of the Charger, 28-year-old Dean Tanksley, of Stone Mountain, was trapped until about 9 a.m.
After he was freed, Tanksley was taken by ambulance to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
The driver of the 1998 Ford F-150 was 58-year-old Joseph Bernat, of Newborn. He complained of minor injuries, Barton said.
At least eight people died in crashes on Georgia roads during the Memorial Day travel season, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
