Rainbow City man dead in I-59 crash after driving in the wrong lane

A Rainbow City man is dead after authorities say he drove his car north in the southbound lane of Interstate 59 early this morning.

Etowah County Deputy Coroner Michael Head said authorities received a call of a reckless driver on the interstate at 2:27 a.m. today, driving in the wrong direction. Then, at 2:51 a.m., a wreck occurred at the Pleasant Valley overpass near mile marker 178 on Interstate 59.

A Volkswagen Jetta, driven by a 26-year-old Rainbow City man, collided head-on with an 18-wheeler, Head said. The Jetta traveled 300 feet from point of impact and landed in the median, while the 18-wheeler traveled 510 feet from the impact zone and came to rest in roadside brush, Head said.

The driver of the Jetta was killed, but his name has not yet been released. The driver of the 18-wheeler was not seriously injured, Head said.

A secondary wreck occurred later when a police car was hit by a car that could not stop in time due to oil on the road. That car was then rear-ended by another car attempting to stop. The policeman was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Head said.