West Georgia woman Alma Rowland-Johnson dies after ladder falls on interstate

A west Georgia family is grieving the loss of a loved one who died on I-285 Tuesday after a ladder fell off a vehicle and caused a multi-car pileup in East Point.

Officials say 59-year-old Alma Rowland-Johnson died in a four-car pileup caused by a ladder that fell off of an unknown truck.

Her sister, Brenda, saw the accident on I-285 in East Point and immediately worried because she had not heard from Alma.

"I called hospitals and nobody had any information on any of the people that was in that accident. It took about three or four, maybe five hours just to find out this information because we was very scared not hearing from her," said Brenda Rowland-Lawrence.

Georgia State Patrol troopers don't know where the ladder came from, but they are examining it for any markings that could lead them to the owner.

Alma's mother wants someone to step forward to help in the investigation.

"Please come forth and let it be known. You will be helping the public, as well as helping my family," Annie Rowland.

Alma's sister wants people to be more responsible when carrying a load on the interstate.

"That's hard to know that your sister is gone just because of something like that - somebody's carelessness. That they didn't take that extra time to make sure that it was strapped down and secure," said Brenda Rowland-Lawrence.

Officials say they are actively looking for the driver of the truck the ladder fell from. If they find him, the driver could face criminal charges, including vehicular homicide.

Anyone with information on the accident is urged to contact the Georgia State Patrol.