CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (December 19, 2012)—An 18-wheeler slammed into a support pillar on Interstate 75 northwest of Atlanta, sending a large highway sign into the path of another vehicle, killing a total of three people, authorities said.

State transportation officials say the southbound lanes of I-75 were closed after the wreck early Wednesday morning in Barton County, Ga.

Few other details of the crash were immediately available Wednesday.