ATLANTA, GA – A tragic sequence of events on the Downtown Connector left one woman dead and several others injured early Friday morning, January 9, 2026.
Atlanta Police officers were dispatched to the I-75/85 southbound expressway near University Avenue at approximately 2:38 a.m. following reports of a massive pileup involving eight vehicles.
The Initial Mechanical Failure
The preliminary investigation by the APD Accident Investigations Unit suggests the chain reaction began when a female driver in a Jeep Renegade experienced mechanical issues. The failure caused her vehicle to lose power and come to a complete stop in the middle of the active expressway lanes…