Officials with the Georgia State Patrol Wednesday night released the names of three men killed in an early morning crash on Interstate 75 that shut down the Cartersville roadway for hours.

GSP spokesman Gordy Wright said the three people killed were:

• Hugh Bruce Duling III, 58, of Powder Springs, was the driver of the southbound tractor-trailer that struck a "support structure in the roadway."

• George Benjamin White, 43, of Hiram, was driver of the northbound truck that crossed the median and struck a concrete support pillar.

• Jermaine Duriel Smith, 36, of Douglasville, was the passenger in White's truck.

The crash followed a series of events that began about 1:50 a.m. with a big rig running off the road. Both trucks caught fire and the interstate in both directions was shut down near Cass-White Road, exit 296, Wright said.

Here's what happened, according to Wright: A northbound tractor-trailer left the roadway on the left shoulder, struck a guardrail, then hit a concrete pillar support for an overhead sign structure on the southbound side. The truck then rolled onto its side and caught fire. The sign fell and was hit by another tractor-trailer. That truck driver lost control and the vehicle left the roadway.