Final accident report on foggy crash still about six months away

DALTON - Authorities say the investigation into the fog-related pileup on Interstate 75 just north of Ringgold in March that involved 128 vehicles, killed five people and left 38 others injured could take another six months to complete. <br> <br> Even the routine task of conducting blood-alcohol tests has become a major problem because of the number of drivers involved. <br> <br> Georgia State Patrol Sergeant K.E. Stokes, who works out of the Dalton post, says he and Sergeant Ritchie Harris of the state&#39;s Special Collision Reconstruction Team are working on the investigation. When it is finished, they will make recommendations to the district attorney&#39;s office. <br> <br> Stokes says he has spent more than 195 hours of overtime working on the case, including 19 hours at the crash scene March 14. <br> <br> An official from the National Weather Service also checked out the crash scene, and Stokes says he is waiting on his final report. <br> <br> The initial accident report breaks the pileup into four separate crashes. <br> <br> Drivers of two tractor-trailer rigs at the head of the pileup were fined a total of six thousand dollars for violating federal safety rules. <br> <br> No criminal charges have been filed.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/5/194724