A Gainesville man died Wednesday morning when his vehicle ran into the back of a logging truck on I-985 in the Buford area.
Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Michele Pihera said the fatal accident was reported around 7:15 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-985 south of Woodward Mill Road, which is near the I-85 split.
"According to the preliminary investigation, the driver of a Kia Sportage, Keith Tumlin - age 45 of Gainesville - struck the back of the logging truck," Pihera said in a media statement. "The driver of the logging truck said that after pulling over into the shoulder to deal with an equipment issue, he pulled back into traffic and was accelerating when the collision occurred."
The driver of the logging truck told investigators he thought he might have blown a tire and pulled back over to the side of the highway. That's when he discovered Tumlin's vehicle stuck under the back of the truck. Tumlin was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the truck was identified in the accident report as James D. West of Flowery Branch. West was not injured.
Pihera said the accident investigation is ongoing, and investigators are unsure at this time if charges will be filed against West in the fatal crash.
