North Carolina Man Killed in I-85 Wreck in Franklin County

A North Carolina man is dead after a wreck on I-85 Monday night.

It happened about 5:45p Monday evening on I-85 Southbound near mile marker 167.

Georgia State Patrol Hartwell Post Trooper Richard Fleming said the driver of an 18-wheeler traveling southbound lost control.

“The vehicle was traveling south and traveled off the west shoulder of the roadway,” Fleming said. “He struck a group of trees at mile marker 167. The driver was trapped and had to be extracated. He was pronounced deceased at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia.”

It’s not clear why the driver ran off the road, nor whether his death was the result of the accident.

By 8p Fleming said traffic was still backed up to Exit 173 and beyond because the tractor-trailer spilled its load when it wrecked.

“There was approximately 42,000 pounds of raw meat that was ejected from the vehicle,” Fleming said. “One lane is open but it will take several hours before both lanes are back open.”

The raw meat was raw chicken, Fleming said.

Crews worked for hours to remove the meat from the roadway.

The name of the victim was not released pending notification of next of kin.