For five hours, all southbound traffic on I-75 was detoured at Exit 18 onto North St. Augustine Road to Hill Avenue then back onto I-75 at Exit 16. The Valdosta Fire Department responded to the scene with three engines and a tanker truck.

By 7:30 a.m., all the southbound lanes of I-75 reopened to traffic.

The city of Valdosta issued a press release urging all motorists to drive with caution, particularly over the upcoming holiday weekend and to allow extra time for traveling due to the busy weekend activities.

The fatal accident occurred mere hours prior to the start of the official Independence Day holiday travel period. The 78-hour holiday period kicked off at 6 p.m. Thursday and will end at midnight on Sunday.

Traffic crashes during the 2008 Independence Day holiday travel period claimed the lives of 22 people in Georgia, according to the Georgia State Patrol. There were 1,860 traffic crashes reported and 910 people injured.

Traffic estimates from the Crash Reporting Unit at the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia State Patrol are for 1,874 crashes, 895 injuries and 22 fatalities this Independence Day holiday travel period.

The highest number of Independence Day holiday travel period traffic fatalities occurred in 1972 when 34 people were killed, and the lowest occurred in 1962 and 1984 when two people were killed.