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Update: Driver reaching for dropped cigarette hits guardrail, overturns tractor trailer at I-985 ramp
03142023 Road
A tractor trailer overturned at Exit 17 off Interstate 985 Tuesday, March 14, 2023.

Update: The Exit 17 southbound ramp on I-985 reopened between noon and 1 p.m. Tuesday after a driver dropped his cigarette, hit a guardrail and overturned his tractor trailer earlier in the morning. 

The crash occurred around 7:45 a.m., according to a Georgia State Patrol crash report. 

The driver, Christopher Wade, 48, was driving a truck owned by P & E Trucking. 

Wade dropped his cigarette, went to reach for it, swerved off the left side of the road and hit a guardrail, which caused his truck to overturn, according to the report. 

There were no injuries, the report says. 


Update: The Exit 17 ramp reopened between noon and 1 p.m., Gainesville police officials said. 


Previous story: The Exit 17 southbound ramp on I-985 is closed due to an overturned tractor trailer, Gainesville Police Department said on social media. 

Lt. Kevin Holbrook said the crash occurred around 8 a.m. Tuesday. He directed further questions to Georgia State Patrol. 

This story will be updated.