Deadly Tractor-Trailer Crash on I-985 in Hall County

HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A deadly crash involving a tractor-trailer shut down I-985 in both directions in Hall County Wednesday morning.

The truck crashed under the Plainview Road overpass and caught fire shortly before 6 a.m. Wednesday, according to Hall County authorities and the Georgia State Patrol. Firefighters were able to put out the fire quickly after arriving at the scene.

Investigators say it appears the truck, traveling north, ran off the highway and into the median while going around a curve. After hitting a guardrail, the truck swerved back across the highway and overturned. The truck then struck another guardrail and a bridge support. The driver was thrown from the cab and killed.

Both northbound and southbound lanes of the interstate were closed between exit 12 and exit 17 following the crash. The highway was blocked for a few hours as crews worked to upright the truck and remove the wreckage.

The truck driver who was killed has been identified as Brian Steven Zegarzewski, 49, of Fletcher, North Carolina.