Cobb County

Driver killed when truck plows through retaining wall, falls onto I-75

By Christian Jennings, WSB-TV
By Christian Jennings, WSB-TV

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators are working to figure out what caused a man to drive up a ramp and off an interstate bridge in Cobb County Monday.

The pickup went up the HOV ramp and through the wall on the Akers Mill Road bridge Monday afternoon. The driver, identified as 33-year-old Dennis Farve, died on impact.

Channel 2's Christian Jennings was there as Department of Transportation crews remained at the scene nearly six hours later, cleaning up the broken cement and car parts left behind from the crash.

The Georgia Department of Transportation said the type of concrete wall the truck went through is not designed to withstand a head-on collision at a high rate of speed.

Driver Phillip Washington said he was headed south on Interstate 75 around 12:45 p.m. when the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado plowed through the concrete wall on Akers Mill Road.

The truck landed in the area between the north and southbound lanes of I-75.

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“I just saw the truck fly over the edge of the bridge. Once it landed, I thought they were shooting a movie at first,” Washington said. “Once I saw there was no production of movies, I stopped my vehicle and everyone else had started slowing up enough for me to cross over.”

That’s when Washington said he called 911.

“I know I was clearing up some of the concrete while the EMS and the fire department was showing up just so they could get in. There were large chunks of concrete,” Washington said.

Investigators say the driver took the HOV exit ramp off I-75 north at a high rate of speed.

Instead of making the turn, the driver drove straight through the intersection and smashed through the side of the bridge.

There are cautionary speed signs of 35 miles per hour and “signal ahead” signs on the HOV exit ramp Favre took.

Those signs were put in place after a deadly bus crash that happened at a similar exit at I-75 and Northside Drive 12 years ago.

Cox Media Group

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