LAKE PARK — At least two people were killed and one seriously injured in an early Thursday wreck in Lowndes County, authorities said.

The Georgia State Patrol was alerted at 7:09 a.m. to an accident on Interstate 75 several hundred feet south of Exit 5 at Lake Park, a patrol statement said.

Early indications are that a tractor-trailer was stopped in one of the south lanes, possibly due to a mechanical failure, the patrol said. A second tractor-trailer was stopped behind the first one.

A third tractor-trailer slammed into the second truck from behind, shoving it into the first one, the statement said. The third tractor-trailer caught fire.

At least two fatalities were confirmed, the statement said. Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said there was at least one serious injury. The state patrol said the injured person was in critical condition. Names have not been released.

Southbound lanes of I-75 were blocked all morning long with traffic backing up for miles. Southbound vehicles were diverted onto Lakes Boulevard though Lake Park; traffic was also diverted via the Madison Highway onto U.S. 41 south.

As of 12:45 p.m., I-75’s southbound lanes were still shut down for the crash investigation.

The patrol’s Specialized Crash Reconstruction Team is assisting in the investigation, the statement said. 

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UPDATE: 11:15 a.m. Thursday: Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said there is a serious injury in addition to the fatalities.

Lakes Boulevard eastbound clogged with diverted traffic from I-75. Traffic also being detoured via Madison Highway onto U.S. 41 South.

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LAKE PARK – At least two people are dead this morning following a tractor-trailer collision on Interstate 75 near Lake Park, according to the Georgia State Patrol. 

All southbound lanes of I-75 are blocked as of 10 a.m. Thursday, according to the GSP.

The Times will update this story as more information becomes available.