Fatal Traffic Accident on Interstate 475
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal traffic accident that occurred on Interstate 475 at around 5:00a.m. Sunday morning. It was reported that a white Volvo S.U.V. was traveling north in the south bound lanes of the interstate. A Western Star tractor trailer driven by 41 year old Patrick Sumner of Markesan, Wisconsin, was traveling in the far right southbound lane when he noticed a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction. He attempted to move to the center lane to avoid a collision with the oncoming vehicle. The Volvo S.U.V. also moved to the center lane and both vehicles collided. The force from the impact caused both vehicles to move to the far left lane and into the center retaining wall. The vehicles came to a complete stop, just north of the Columbus Road Bridge.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured, the driver of the Volvo S.U.V. died at the scene of the accident. No one else was injured during this incident. The name of the person that was driving the Volvo cannot be released until the next of kin has been notified.
All of the south bound lanes of Interstate 475 were closed from the Thomaston Road Bridge to Eisenhower Parkway, until the accident scene was cleared. The interstate was reopened at around 10:20a.m. Traffic was rerouted until the interstate was reopened.
This fatal traffic accident is under investigation. Anyone with information in reference to this incident is urged to contact the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 and ask to leave a message for the “on-call” traffic investigator.