ATLANTA, GA — The Georgia State Patrol says the crash on the downtown connector that snarled traffic for more than three hours Friday morning can be blamed on a wrong-way driver believed to be driving under the influence.

A state trooper noticed the driver going the wrong way in the southbound HOV lane on I-75 / 85 just after 3 a.m.

By the time the trooper caught up with the car, it had crashed with another vehicle, injuring both the driver and the passenger.

It took investigators hours to reconstruct the accident scene and clean up the debris which left hundreds of drivers stuck on the connector or trying to find alternate routes.

The 20-year-old wrong-way driver is facing multiple charges including DUI and underage consumption.

His 17-year-old passenger is seriously injured.