CORDELE, Ga. (WALB) — A man has died after being struck by a tractor-trailer following an earlier crash on Interstate 75 in Crisp County, according to the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office.

The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office responded to an accident on I-75 at approximately mile marker 94 around 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 22. The crash involved two passenger vehicles traveling south.

The initial investigation indicated that one passenger vehicle rear-ended another vehicle and then veered off the roadway, striking a fence and a tree. A fire began underneath the hood of that vehicle, according to police.

Police said the driver of the other passenger vehicle witnessed the driver of the vehicle on fire exit the vehicle and run northbound along the roadway. Both drivers were in contact with 911 by telephone.

When first responders arrived, the Hyundai driver could not be located. Deputies, firefighters and other emergency personnel searched the area while continuing to investigate the crash and extinguish the fire.

During the search, a tractor-trailer stopped in the area after the driver believed he may have struck debris in the roadway. Deputies obtained the driver’s information and began gathering additional information concerning the tractor-trailer. Police said first responders continued searching for the driver of the Hyundai.

The driver of the Hyundai was later located approximately 50 yards from the original accident scene. He was treated at the scene by EMS and Fire Rescue personnel and transported to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, where he later died from his injuries.

The investigation determined that after the initial collision, the driver had exited his vehicle and told the other driver he was looking for items in his vehicle. The driver then went to the roadway and stood in the right-hand lane, where a tractor-trailer struck him.

The Crisp County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident as two separate accidents. Police said the investigation still remains ongoing.

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