Georgia · DeKalb County · Fatal
I-285 Accident in DeKalb County, GA: Woman Killed While Directing Traffic Near the LaVista Road Exit
DeKalb County police say a woman was standing on I-285 near the LaVista Road exit, directing traffic around an earlier accident, when a vehicle struck her on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. She died. The driver who hit her was injured and taken to the hospital, and the interstate was shut down for hours. No one has been charged.
Key facts
- What
- A woman standing on the interstate, directing traffic around an earlier accident, was struck by a vehicle and killed
- Where
- I-285 near the LaVista Road exit, DeKalb County, Georgia
- When
- Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026 — no clock time released
- Killed
- The woman who was directing traffic. She has not been publicly identified; 11Alive’s news feed headline gives her age as 23
- Injured
- The driver who struck her, taken to the hospital
- Road impact
- I-285 shut down for hours Sunday
- Investigating agency
- DeKalb County Police Department
- Charges
- None. Police have not said whether any will be filed
- Status
- Ongoing investigation
- What happened on I-285 near the LaVista Road exit?
- Where on I-285 did the accident happen?
- Who was the woman killed on I-285?
- What happened to the driver who struck her?
- How long was I-285 shut down?
- Has anyone been charged?
- Which agency is investigating, and who holds the report?
- What we don’t know yet
- What else has happened on metro Atlanta’s interstates?
- Frequently asked questions
What happened on I-285 near the LaVista Road exit?
A woman who was standing on I-285 in DeKalb County and directing traffic around an earlier accident was hit by a vehicle and killed on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, 95.5 WSB reported.
DeKalb County police say she was on the interstate near the LaVista Road exit when she was struck, according to that report.
The account police have given is short. In the station’s words: “A woman is dead after she was hit by a vehicle while directing traffic around a previous crash on I-285 Sunday.”
The driver who hit her was also injured and taken to the hospital, 95.5 WSB reported.
| Detail | What police have said |
|---|---|
| The woman who died | Standing on the interstate, directing traffic around an earlier accident, when a vehicle hit her. Not publicly identified |
| The driver who struck her | Injured and taken to the hospital. Not named, not charged |
| The earlier accident | Referred to only as a previous accident on I-285. Nothing about it has been described |
| The interstate | Shut down for hours Sunday while police worked to determine what happened |
| Charges | Police have not said whether any will be filed |
Where on I-285 did the accident happen?
Police placed the woman on the interstate near the LaVista Road exit, in DeKalb County.
Nothing narrower has been released. There is no direction of travel, no mile marker, no lane and no description of where she was standing in relation to the ramp.
The earlier accident has not been described either. Police have not said what happened in it, what time it happened, who was involved or whether anyone was hurt in it.
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Who was the woman killed on I-285?
She has not been publicly identified. No name, no hometown and nothing about her family has been released.
11Alive distributed the story on its news feed on Sunday evening under the headline “23-year-old woman struck by car, killed after directing traffic around previous crash on I-285 in DeKalb County,” with a one-line summary: “The woman was standing in the roadway and directing traffic around an earlier crash when she was struck by a vehicle.”
That age — 23 — comes from the station’s feed headline. The DeKalb County police account published by 95.5 WSB does not give an age, and police have not confirmed one.
It is also not known why she was in the road. Police have not said whether she had been involved in the earlier accident, was travelling with someone who was, or had simply stopped.
What happened to the driver who struck her?
The driver was injured and taken to the hospital, 95.5 WSB reported. Nothing beyond that has been released about the driver’s condition.
The driver has not been named, and no make, model or type of vehicle has been given.
No one has been accused of anything in connection with this accident. Police have not alleged wrongdoing by the driver.
How long was I-285 shut down?
The interstate was closed for hours on Sunday while police worked to determine what happened, according to the 95.5 WSB report.
No reopening time has been published, and it has not been said how many lanes or which direction of the Perimeter were affected.
Has anyone been charged?
No. Police have not said whether any charges will be filed, 95.5 WSB reported, and the investigation is ongoing.
No arrest has been announced and no one has been named as a subject of the investigation.
Which agency is investigating, and who holds the report?
The DeKalb County Police Department is investigating. The account carried by 95.5 WSB is attributed to DeKalb County police.
In Georgia, the agency that works a road accident generally holds the report on it.
DeKalb County takes records requests through its Open Records Request page, and the county lists 404-371-2000 as its main line, at 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030.
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What we don’t know yet
- The woman’s name, hometown and anything about her family
- Her age, beyond the 23 that appears in 11Alive’s feed headline
- What time either accident happened — the account released so far places both on Sunday, with no clock time
- Which direction of I-285 she was on, and where she was standing in relation to the LaVista Road exit
- What the earlier accident was, who was involved in it and whether anyone was hurt in it
- Whether the woman had been involved in that earlier accident or had stopped at it
- Who was driving the vehicle that struck her, what they were driving, and their condition beyond being hospitalized
- Whether any charges will be filed
- What time I-285 reopened, and which lanes were closed
What else has happened on metro Atlanta’s interstates?
In Atlanta, a man was killed on I-85 South near Metropolitan Parkway after being struck by multiple vehicles, and Akil Lateef Mayer, 34, was killed running across I-75.
Everything we are tracking on Georgia roads is in Traffic & Accidents.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on I-285 in DeKalb County?
DeKalb County police say a woman was standing on the interstate near the LaVista Road exit, directing traffic around an earlier accident, when a vehicle hit her. She died. The driver who hit her was injured and taken to the hospital.
When did the I-285 accident happen?
Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. No clock time has been given for either the earlier accident or the one that killed the woman.
Where on I-285 did the accident happen?
On I-285 near the LaVista Road exit, in DeKalb County, Georgia. No direction of travel, mile marker or lane has been released.
Who was the woman killed on I-285?
She has not been publicly identified. No name, no hometown and no information about her family has been released.
How old was the woman killed on I-285?
11Alive’s news feed headline describes her as a 23-year-old woman. That age comes from the station’s feed. The DeKalb County police account published by 95.5 WSB does not give an age.
What happened to the driver who struck her?
The driver was also injured and taken to the hospital, 95.5 WSB reported. The driver has not been named, and no condition beyond being hospitalized has been released.
Has anyone been charged in the I-285 accident?
No. Police have not said whether any charges will be filed, and no one has been accused of anything. The investigation is ongoing.
How long was I-285 shut down?
For hours on Sunday, while police worked to determine what happened. No reopening time, direction or lane count has been published.
Which agency is investigating the I-285 accident?
The DeKalb County Police Department. The account carried by 95.5 WSB is attributed to DeKalb County police, and the investigation is ongoing.
Sources
- 95.5 WSB (Cox Media Group), “Woman killed while directing traffic around crash on I-285” — published Aug. 17, 2026, 8:16 a.m. ET. The death, the woman directing traffic around an earlier accident, the DeKalb County police attribution, the location near the LaVista Road exit, the Sunday date, the injured driver taken to the hospital, the hours-long closure of the interstate, and that police have not said whether charges will be filed.
- 11Alive (Tegna) — headline and one-sentence summary, distributed on the station’s news feed at 8:56 p.m. ET, Aug. 16, 2026. The age of 23 rests on that headline alone.
- DeKalb County, Georgia — Open Records Request — how records requests are submitted to the county, and the county’s main address and phone line.
Compiled by The Local Alert Georgia Staff from the sources linked above. The woman who died has not been publicly identified. The driver who struck her has not been named and has not been charged with anything. The Local Alert is not a law enforcement agency and not a law firm. Corrections and removal requests: see our corrections policy.
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