Addison Thornton charged in Atlanta crash; passenger seriously hurt

In Midtown Atlanta, a multi-vehicle collision closed all southbound lanes of Interstate 75/85 for several hours on Friday morning. According to officials, the collision occurred on the Downtown Connector close to the North Avenue exit at approximately 3:20 a.m.; the drivers’ conditions are currently unknown. All southbound lanes were closed between exits 250 and 249D while crews attempted to remove the vehicles and clean up the scene.

Massive traffic jams that extended back to other exits were caused by traffic that was stalled on the interstate being redirected through the entrance ramp from 10th Street.

On I-75/I-85, a GSP Nighthawks North trooper was heading south when he noticed a black 2012 Mercedes-Benz heading north in the southbound HOV lane, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The Mercedes had collided with another car by the time the trooper managed to catch up to the driver.

The crash was so bad that the GSP Specialized crash Reconstruction Team was contacted to assist with the investigation.

The driver was found to be under the influence when the trooper administered a DUI test. The driver turned out to be Addison Thornton, a 20-year-old from O’Fallon, Missouri. Thornton was accused with driving while intoxicated, driving on the wrong side of the road, possessing a forged driver’s license, causing serious injuries by motor vehicle, and consuming alcohol when underage.

A 17-year-old from Washington, Missouri, was also recognized by GSP as a passenger in the Mercedes. She had severe wounds and was taken to a hospital.

In the other car, a 30-year-old Kennesaw resident was operating a 2018 Buick Encore. A passenger was a 28-year-old from Kennesaw. Despite not having any life-threatening injuries, they were both sent to Grady Memorial Hospital.

The extent of the injuries sustained by the citizens of Kennesaw is unknown.