Return to Transcripts main page

Breaking News

Five Dead in Georgia Accident

Aired March 14, 2002 - 11:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we want to take you to Northwest Georgia where we have been telling you all morning about a massive pile up on Interstate 75, where more than 100 vehicles were involved including 20 tractor trailers. There are fatalities there as well. The numbers are fluctuating, though, all morning. We want to now go to our affiliate WAGA reporter Dan Ronan, who has update for us there -- good afternoon.

DAN RONAN, WAGA CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka -- Fredricka, at least five people are now confirmed dead from this massive tractor-trailer accident at I-75 between Atlanta and Chattanooga in Catoosa County. Officials say this was a classic -- a classive (ph) multi-car pile-up that occurred this morning, in very, very difficult, dense fog.

What happened was you had one of the 18 wheelers in the northbound lanes, heading to Chattanooga. He came down a brief gully where the highway dips. His visibility dropped to almost zero, he slammed into the back of another 18 wheeler. One of those vehicles crossed over the median strip onto the northbound lanes, causing the chain reaction, the multi-car pile-up on the other side of the accident. Cars littered all over the interstate from one side to the other, as we could see. Cars littered from one side to other.

Officials of the Georgia State Patrol here en masse, dozens of people injured, we are told. The coroner from Walker County Georgia, the county next door, says that five people are confirmed dead. They expect that number could possibly go as high as 10 because of the massive number of vehicles, and the very, very heavy damage involved in all of this.

This all took place, as I said, in very, very poor visibility. This area north of Atlanta and Chattanooga known as an area for fog because of the mountains and the hills us here. Not uncommon to have this type situation here, but police say the traffic on this busy stretch of interstate between Atlanta and Chattanooga will be blocked off for at least, at least until 5:00 this evening, possibly later.

Reporting live from Catoosa County, Georgia, Dan Ronan for CNN.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Dan Ronan reporting from Ringgold, Georgia there from our affiliate WAGA.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com