JEFFERSON - A Charlotte, North Carolina truck driver, identified as 52-year-old James Gaither, escaped serious injury when his tanker blew a tire and went out of control early Friday morning on Interstate 85 in Jackson County.
Georgia State Trooper First Class Tim Meyer says the truck was carrying liquid latex:
"It's a good thing his cargo was only an inert kind of product, " says Meyer, "otherwise it could have been explosive. The cargo wasn't hazardous and that helped the situation out greatly."
The wreck happened shortly before 4:00 a.m. in the south bound lanes of the interstate near the Highway 82 overpass.
"The tire malfunctioned, which caused him to run off the road and up the embankment of the 82 bridge," adds Meyer.
Gaither was transported to BJC Hospital, where he was treated and released. Trooper Meyer says the clean up of the wreckage lasted through mid-afternoon Friday.
Friday
January 17th, 2025
1:01AM
