BUFORD – The Gwinnett County Police Department responded to the scene of a traffic accident early Wednesday morning on I-985.
Officers with the North Precinct responded to an injury accident shortly before 7:30 a.m. on I-985 NB. The officers located a Kia Sportage and a logging truck on I-985 NB in between the I-85 split and the Buford Drive exit in Buford.
According to the preliminary investigation, both the driver of the Kia and driver of the logging truck were heading northbound along that stretch of interstate. The driver of the logging truck told officers that after pulling onto the shoulder of the interstate to handle equipment issues, he pulled back onto the right lane of the interstate and was accelerating. He stated that he was up to speeds of approximately 45-50 mph when he felt like a tire had blown out.
The driver of the logging truck pulled over onto the shoulder about a ½ mile south of Woodward Mill Road on I-985 NB and found that his vehicle had been struck by a Kia Sportage driven by Keith Tumlin, age 45 of Gainesville. The truck driver said he could not get the door of the Kia open to check on the driver. Mr. Tumlin was found unresponsive and pronounced deceased at the scene.
Mr. Tumlin’s next of kin has been notified.
— Staff Reports
