Local truck driver killed in I-75 accident Tuesday

A Cairo man was killed in a tragic trucking accident Tuesday morning while on the job. Thornton Anderson, 34, died in the wreck on Interstate-75 near Adel around 6:20 a.m. Tuesday.
The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is investigating the accident, which took place near mile marker 47, according to TFC3 B. Taylor, a trooper who worked the accident.
Taylor said Anderson was driving his 1996 International tractor trailer northbound, in the right hand lane on 75 when the wreck happened.
Ariel Artola, 38, Coral Springs, Fla., was the driver of a 2010 Freightliner tractor trailer who apparently failed to yield as he exited a Rest Area, Taylor said. As Artola attempted to merge onto the interstate, Anderson’s truck crashed into the rear of Artola’s trailer and burst into flames from the impact, according to Taylor. The trooper said charges against Artola, who was driving for Top Freight, are pending the outcome of the SCRT team investigation.