Police issue citations after 19 vehicles crash on I-185 near Macon Road

Nineteen vehicles crashed in a string of wrecks that occurred simultaneously Thursday afternoon on Interstate 185 Northbound, according to Columbus police.

The only person who reported being injured was transported to the Midtown Medical Center. No one was seriously harmed, authorities said.

Police Sgt. Fred Carnes said they were called to Interstate 185 around 1:30 p.m. Thursday after six wrecks were reported in the northbound and southbound lanes.

Around 5:49 p.m., officials learned that 19 vehicles crashed in a total of 13 crashes on Interstate 185 Northbound between Buena Vista Road and the Macon Road.

The northbound lanes were closed for about two hours as officers cleared the area.

“They just precipitated that people were just going too fast for the weather,” he said. “When it’s raining, slow down and give people room.”

Carnes said it has been years since he’s seen a crash in Columbus involving more than a dozen vehicles.

“The last one I worked was 13 cars, and that’s been a few years ago,” Carnes said. “This is a first time in a long time that we’ve had this number of vehicles in one incident.”

Multiple citations were issued following both series of crashes, including following too close. The collisions remain under investigation.

This story was originally published June 23, 2017 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Police issue citations after 19 vehicles crash on I-185 near Macon Road."