Four-vehicle crash leaves three people dead in Bulloch County

BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Three people are dead following a four-vehicle crash in Bulloch County around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

According to Georgia State Patrol, a tractor-trailer towing a tanker was driving westbound on Interstate 16 in the right lane and rear-ended another vehicle which caught on fire. This vehicle was then pushed into the rear of another tractor-trailer. This second tractor-trailer then sideswiped a fourth vehicle. GSP believe the collisions resulted from a traffic slowdown related to an officer-involved shooting on I-16 near mile marker 132.

Westbound I-16 is closed due to a vehicle fire near Mile Marker 137. We'll let you know when the scene clears. pic.twitter.com/y6uzlpwkaQ
— Andrew Gorton WTOC (@AndrewGortonWx) March 14, 2021

“It pushed that vehicle into the rear of this other tractor-trailer. In the process of this, another vehicle was sideswiped,” said Cpl. Joshua Riddle, with GSP.

Riddle said the people in the vehicle that caught on fire were pronounced dead at the scene. They have been identified by GSP as Dr. Anthony Jaroy Stuckey, Sr., 32 of Dexter, Ga., his wife Elysea Stuckey, 34, and their 3-year-old son Anthony Jaroy Stuckey, Jr. Dr. Stuckey was principal of Dublin High School in Dublin, Ga., according to a tweet from Dublin City Schools.

There was one person in the tanker, two people in the tractor-trailer, and at least one person in the fourth vehicle, according to GSP.

Georgia State Patrol, Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, Bulloch County Fire Department and Georgia Department of Transportation responded to the crash.

“Right now we’re trying to find out if there were any mechanical issues that caused the crash. Was it distracted driving? Was it anything else? We’re still investigating,” said Cpl. Riddle.

The GSP Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is conducting a follow-up investigation. Charges are pending the results of this investigation.

The westbound lanes of I-16 in Bulloch County were closed for much of Sunday afternoon. The lanes reopened Sunday evening.

This is a developing story. WTOC will provide updates as they become available.

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