The driver of a tractor-trailer was cited in an early morning crash on northbound Interstate 75 near Perry on Thursday that resulted in five people being taken to the hospital, the Georgia State Patrol said.
GSP Cpl. Elbert Slappy said Bobby Jones, 27, of Newnan, was cited for following too closely after the 4:35 a.m. crash about three miles south of Perry.
Jones was driving a Federal Express double-trailer truck when he crested over a rise and crashed into the back of a Nissan hatchback driven by Marie Richardson, 51, of Sunrise, Fla., Slappy said. Her husband, Ferol Richardson, 55, was in the front passenger seat.
Three family members daughter Hanson Richardson, 22; son Fede Richardson, 20; and aunt Ann Valcourt, 69 were in the back seat and were ejected as the car rolled over into a ditch, Slappy said.
Fede Richardson remained in critical condition Thursday at The Medical Center of Central Georgia, Slappy said. The other family members were in stable condition, Slappy said.
The truck driver, who told police he did not see the car as he came over the rise, was all right, Slappy said. The fact that the three family members in the back of the car were ejected indicated that the three were not wearing seat belts, Slappy said.
The accident initially blocked all northbound lanes near Firetower Road. Trooper Mark Collier investigated the crash.
