COVINGTON, Ga. — Charges are pending in a crash that killed a motorcycle passenger and closed the interstate in Newton County for hours on Easter night.

The Georgia State Patrol said 53-year-old Susan Smith, of Winder, died at the scene on Interstate 20, about 2 miles west of the John R. Williams Highway exit.

The crash happened at 7:44 p.m. Sunday. GSP said Smith was a passenger on a motorcycle traveling west on I-20, and troopers said the motorcycle was following another vehicle too closely when the driver was blinded by a glare.

The victim apparently was thrown from the motorcycle and thrown into the roadway on impact between the vehicles, then was dragged by a third vehicle until coming to a final rest on the highway.

An investigation by the Georgia State Patrol was incomplete Monday morning. The GSP Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is conducting a follow-up investigation.

Westbound lanes of I-20 were closed until just before midnight. Traffic was detoured onto U.S. 278 and Georgia 11.

Managing Editor Jackie Gutknecht contributed to this report.