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Overturned log truck snarls traffic on Ga. 400
WEB 640 log truck
An overturned log truck blocked three lanes of Ga. 400 northbound just south of McFarland Parkway Wednesday afternoon - photo by Jim Dean

Ga. 400 north was closed for some time Wednesday afternoon while crews cleaned up the mess after a log truck overturned near McFarland Parkway.

The wreck caused a “significant impact to northbound traffic,” said Forsyth County Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers.

The accident happened about 11:30 a.m. By noon, officials had shut down all the lanes.

The truck and logs were removed during that closure, Shivers said.

Two lanes reopened for traffic after about 30 minutes and all lanes had opened by 2 p.m.

The cause of the incident, which occurred about a half-mile south of McFarland near the Fulton County line, remains under investigation.

According to Doug Rainwater, Forsyth County Sheriff’s spokesman, the overturned tractor-trailer wedged against the median and the wreckage blocked about three lanes of traffic.

The 21-year-old driver was not injured and no other vehicles involved, Rainwater said.

The Georgia State Patrol commercial vehicle unit inspected the truck in the afternoon to check for any “obvious violations” and proper permits, he said.

The load of logs the tractor-trailer was carrying spilled onto the corridor, as did motor oil and diesel and hydraulic fuel from the tractor-trailer, according to Shivers.

He said the fire department’s hazardous materials unit worked to block the spill from reaching the storm drain along the highway until the truck could be turned upright.

Rainwater said a contracted towing company dragged the truck off the road. An Oakwood-based business specializing in hazardous materials then cleanup cleared the spills.