SAVANNAH, GEORGIA — A semi-truck driver who lost control and crashed into a sign structure on Interstate 16 in Savannah told investigators he was looking for his TWIC card before the wreck, according to crash report documents.

The crash happened on Jan. 5, 2026, near Exit 166 as I-16 approaches downtown Savannah. Officials said the collision shut down all eastbound lanes for roughly nine hours while crews worked to clear debris and remove the damaged equipment.

^{Photo credit: Savannah Fire Department}

According to the motor vehicle crash report, a witness traveling behind the tractor-trailer said the driver was “driving normal and maintaining his lane” until the truck approached the fork on I-16 near the Gwinnett Street exit.

“As he was taking the curve, his truck started drifting off to the right as he went into the grass,” the report states. The report says the truck then struck a guardrail before hitting a pole supporting an overhead sign, and the truck and trailer ultimately came to rest on the driver’s side.

Investigators wrote that after the driver climbed out of the tractor-trailer, he stated he had been looking for his TWIC card prior to the crash.

The driver was cited as being at fault for distracted driving and failure to maintain lane, the report states. He was transported to Memorial Medical Center with injuries to his right shoulder, according to the documents.

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