Husband, wife in vehicle that caught fire in fatal Richmond Hill wreck

RICHMOND HILL, GA (WTOC) - UPDATE: Georgia State Patrol has released preliminary results from the fatal multi-vehicle crash on I-95 in Richmond Hill on Thursday.

We've learned a husband and wife were in the vehicle that caught fire. The woman was killed. Her husband was sent to the Augusta Burn Center with serious injuries. According to investigators, as a truck driver approached the exit, he moved from the center lane to the right lane. Seeing slowed traffic, that driver tried to get back into the middle lane when he clipped another semi, starting a chain reaction.

Richmond Hill Police Chief Raymond Shores says if drivers follow a few key steps, it could help save lives. The first is to slow down, and the second is to pay attention to the time of day and rush hour patterns.

"The third thing, obviously, is distractive driving," Chief Shores said. "The law has been in place for a little while now, and people are not supposed to be texting and talking on the phone. We need people to put their phones down, pay attention to their surroundings, and do the best they can do to monitor the traffic, the time they're on the interstate, and their speed."

GSP crash investigators say the crash was the 43rd serious collision they've worked in their post region this year. Last year, there were 44 investigations total.

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Richmond Hill Police and the Georgia State Patrol have confirmed one person died in a multi-vehicle crash Thursday afternoon.

Investigators say five vehicles, including two tractor-trailers and three personal vehicles - were involved in the wreck. It happened in the southbound lanes of I-95 near mile marker 87 (Exit 90), which is the Highway 17 exit in Richmond Hill.

The driver of one of the cars involved died after their car and one of the tractor trailers caught fire. Another car went over the concrete wall, landing near train tracks below.

Five people were taken to the hospital, but their conditions have not yet been released.

The scene has since cleared and all lanes reopened to traffic around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

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