A series of Interstate 75 wrecks late Sunday night involved 10 vehicles, left several travelers injured and killed four people, including grandparents and their 3-year-old grandchild, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

One wreck involved two vehicles with one person needing to be life-flighted to Tallahassee, Fla., for treatment. While authorities worked this accident scene, which included a lifeflight helicopter landing on I-75, a tractor-trailer sparked a chain-reaction collision among the stopped southbound traffic that involved eight vehicles.

Georgia State Patrol Post 31 worked both incidents Sunday night and early into Monday morning. GSP Post 31 Cmdr. Sgt. Carl Taylor described the scene as “very chaotic there last night.”

The incident began at approximately 10:30 p.m. with a two-vehicle collision in the southbound lane near I-75’s mile marker 20, according to GSP reports.

The back tire of a 2013 Honda Accord traveling south in the middle lane suffered a blowout. The driver lost control of the Accord, which spun counter-clockwise and struck a concrete median. Meanwhile, a 1995 Toyota Forerunner traveling south on the inside lane struck the Accord on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The Toyota overturned and came to rest on its top in the middle of the roadway.

A lifeflight helicopter arrived to take Carl Biddle of Palatka, Fla., the 21-year-old driver of the Toyota, to Tallahassee, Fla., according to the GSP. The helicopter landed on the interstate while other emergency workers carried the Accord’s occupants, Shelise Evans, 46, Juan Evans, 46, Jessica Evans, 24, Jakia Felton, 24, Jasmine Evans, 21, and Arianna Roderiguez, 5, all of Jacksonville, Fla., to South Georgia Medical Center, according to reports. Destiny Glass, 20, of Palatka, a Toyota occupant, was also transported to SGMC; Mary Leddon, 21, a Toyota occupant, did not need hospitalization, according to reports.

As GSP and emergency workers dealt with this wreck, southbound traffic stopped along I-75.

Approximately 20 minutes after the initial collision, a second deadlier chain-reaction collision occurred.

At approximately 10:49 p.m. Sunday, a tractor-trailer failed to stop for stalled southbound traffic just south of Exit 22. This second wreck involved eight vehicles — three tractor-trailers, a Chevy Impala, a Ford pick-up truck with camper, a Land Rover SUV, a small U-Haul, and a minivan, a total of 18 occupants, three injuries and four deaths, Taylor said.

The initial tractor-trailer, the Impala and the pick-up sustained the most damage and human injury and loss.

Three people died in the Impala: grandparents Ronald Balzer of Tennessee, the driver, and Tamara Balzer of Tennessee; Hayleigh Fowler, 3, of Florida; the Balzers were reportedly taking their granddaughter home following a visit, according to authorities.

The Ford pick-up passenger Ray Anderson, 82, of Florida died, while the Ford driver Steven Anderson of Florida suffered minor injuries, according to the GSP.

The initial tractor-trailer driver Zemir Malkoc, 54, of Missouri suffered minor injuries, according to the GSP.

All eight vehicles were impounded as part of the GSP investigation into the wrecks. Blood samples were collected but neither alcohol nor intoxicants are considered a factor in either incident. Charges are pending in the second incident. The GSP’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating the case.

All I-75 southbound lanes leading to Exit 22 near North Valdosta Road and a few miles beyond were closed for about four hours Monday morning. Lanes reopened gradually with all lanes opened by approximately 10 a.m. Monday.