A 2-year-old girl died after a vehicle struck the rear of her family’s car about 4:30 p.m. Sunday on Interstate 85 just north of the Lafayette Parkway exit.

Helen Gray of Winder, who was strapped in a car seat, suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:54 p.m., said Troup County coroner Jeff Cook. He said she would have been 3 years old on Dec. 23.

State trooper J.D. Perry said traffic had almost come to a halt when a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Luke Waters, 24, of Fairhope, Ala., ran into the back of the Honda Odyssey minivan in which the child was riding in the back seat on the driver’s side. The Odyssey then ran into the back of a Ford Taurus, which in turn hit the rear of a Ford pickup.

Perry said he didn’t know what had caused traffic to slow. He said Waters saw what was happening, but couldn’t stop in time.

Passersby cut the child out of her car seat and got her out of the vehicle before paramedics arrived, Cook said.

The child’s mother, Pamela Gray, 29, was flown by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center after complaining of chest injuries and numbness in the hands and lower extremities. She was in critical but stable condition this morning.

The father, Brian Gray, 31, who was driving, was treated at West Georgia Medical Center and released.

Four others suffered minor injuries.

The State Patrol’s specialized collision reconstruction team investigated the accident for about three hours. Both northbound lanes were closed initially and motorists used the emergency lane to get through.

Perry said the family had been visiting friends and was returning to Winder when the accident occurred.

Joel Martin can be reached at jmartin@lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 235.