ATLANTA — A Cumming man was hospitalized early Saturday after he was injured in a head-on collision that claimed the life of another driver on an Atlanta interstate.

A witness told DeKalb County police he saw sparks and flames coming from the truck in front of him after a vehicle collided with it while traveling the wrong way on I-85 south near the Fulton County line.

The rental truck’s driver, George Saunders of Cumming, was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Saunders’ injuries were listed as serious but not life-threatening, said Capt. S.R. Fore with the DeKalb police.

A spokeswoman for Grady was not able to confirm Saunders’ condition Tuesday or whether he remained a patient.

According to the accident report, 27-year-old Keith F. Smith of Suwanee was driving a 2011 Mercedes without headlights about 1:30 a.m.

Witnesses stated he passed their vehicle on Cheshire Bridge Road from Lenox Road before making a U-turn onto I-85 south.

The Mercedes reportedly exploded into flames upon impact. Smith was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The vehicle following the rental truck could not swerve out of the way, according to the report, and was struck by the Mercedes as it spun from the initial impact. The third driver was also taken to Grady with complaints of a headache.

An officer from the Brookhaven Police Department was the first responder at the scene, the report said.