Three people were injured in a collision in Mitchell County on December 25. The driver of one of the vehicles involved in the crash was charged with driving under the influence in relation to the incident. According to the Georgia State Patrol, the car accident occurred at about 12 p.m. at the intersection of GA 112 and GA 262 near the Grady-Mitchell County line. A vehicle driven by a 40-year-old woman, traveling south on GA 112, stopped to yield to oncoming traffic while attempting to make a left turn onto 262. Another vehicle, driven by a 27-year-old man traveling north on GA 112, crossed the center line and collided head-on with the woman's vehicle. The female driver and her 81-year-old female passenger were transported to a local Thomasville hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The male driver suffered only minor injuries. He was transported to a hospital in Camilla for treatment. Besides…

According to Dawson County Sheriff's Department officials, a collision involving a tractor-trailer and a car on Dec. 18 claimed the life of one person and injured three others. Reportedly, the collision occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Highway 53 near Dawsonville. The truck's driver was a 36-year-old Oakwood man who was hauling a load of chicken feed. He allegedly failed to appropriately negotiate a curve in the highway. A Dawsonville woman was driving a Chevy Impala and the man's truck collided with her car. The force of the collision caused the truck to overturn, and the Impala apparently went through the truck's cab. The truck's driver was alive when emergency responders arrived, but he later succumbed to his injuries. The woman and a 15-year-old passenger in the Impala both required transport to an area hospital for treatment. Another passenger in the woman's car, a 16-year-old, also received minor injuries but apparently…

Many Georgia drivers become involved in car accidents. While some accidents are minor, others could result in serious injuries. However, there are certain ways that a driver or other vehicle occupants may reduce the risk of common accident injuries. Common injuries that could leave a person temporarily or permanently disabled include head, neck, and brain injuries. A person may suffer a face, head, or brain injury if a collision causes the person's head to come into contact with a sharp or blunt object, such as a piece of glass from the windshield or the dashboard. These types of injuries can be prevented by properly installed front and side airbags. Additionally, people should try to wrap their arms around their head to form an emergency helmet. Other common crash injuries include neck, back, and leg injuries. Neck injuries can include whiplash and damage to the spinal cord. Back injuries can also…

According to law enforcement officials with the Henry County Police, a Butts County man was killed and two others were seriously injured in a collision that occurred when a driver reportedly ran a stop sign. The fatal collision occurred on the night of Nov. 29 on Georgia 81. Officers did not say if any other factors like impairment contributed to the wreck. A 19-year-old man was driving a 2002 Ford Focus on Jackson Lake Road when he approached the road's intersection with Ga. 81. He reportedly failed to stop at a stop sign when he arrived at the intersection. He then collided with a 2007 Ford Mustang driven by an 18-year-old man. The impact of the collision caused the death of the 19-year-old. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by responding emergency personnel. A 19-year-old female passenger in the Ford suffered serious injuries, and she was…

A Calhoun woman has received an indictment after a May 23 car accident that allegedly involved drunk driving and killed a pedestrian. The Gordon County grand jury issued the indictment after a 50-year-old woman struck a 65-year-old woman in a residential neighborhood while the victim was at a mailbox. According to the deceased's daughter, her mother, who was from Augusta, went to the mailbox at around 11:30 a.m. The woman was on the side of the road at the mailbox on Blackwood Place when a Dodge Neon SXT struck her. The Dodge arrived on Blackwood from Ga. Highway 53, and a Georgia State Patrol's incident report indicated that the vehicle was traveling at a fast speed. After the impact, the pedestrian sent her about 52 feet into the air. The Augusta woman was airlifted to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga but died at the hospital. After the crash, the Dodge traveled…

Regardless of how good a Georgia driver is, he or she cannot control what other drivers do. Sudden changes by others can lead to dangerous situations that increase the risk of an accident. This is generally true even if the driver has time to anticipate what others are doing on the highway. However, there are technologies that may enable vehicles to take some of the guesswork out of driving. These technologies work by alerting the driver of changing conditions and may even help the car take action to stop by itself. Automatic braking and other speed-limiting technologies may help drivers avoid rear-end collisions, while lane-departure warnings can help drivers avoid accidents while changing lanes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these technologies are not always standard in vehicles. In some cases, they are not even required to help a vehicle meet safety requirements. The National Transportation Safety Board…

A multi-vehicle traffic accident on the evening of Nov. 6 left one woman dead and another person injured in Dougherty County. A third man involved in the collision received a traffic citation and may face additional criminal charges related to the fatal crash as well. According to information released by investigators with the Dougherty County Police, the three-car accident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Liberty Expressway and Holly Drive in Albany. Witnesses claim the 43-year-old Mitchell County woman driving a black Volkswagen Beetle was stopped at a red light when her vehicle was rear-ended by a red van driven by a 72-year-old Montgomery County man. The force of the impact then caused the Volkswagen to strike another black vehicle in front of it driven by a 34-year-old Ocklocknee's Ford woman. Bystanders rushed to assist the victims, pulling the 34-year-old woman from her vehicle, but they found…

A married couple traveling south on Interstate 75 near Adairsville suffered fatal injuries after their vehicle was rear-ended on the highway. According to authorities, the Oct. 30 accident occurred around 9 p.m. Reportedly, that is when a 2008 BMW struck the rear of the couple's 2004 Ford Explorer, causing the SUV to careen down an embankment adjacent to the roadway. Officials at the scene of the crash declared both the husband and the wife dead. The driver of the BMW, a 50-year-old man, was detained following the crash on suspicion of impaired driving. According to the Georgia State Patrol, multiple charges may be filed against the man. If the GSP investigation were to reveal that the driver of the BMW was in fact intoxicated at the time of the incident involving the married couple, then he may face more than just criminal repercussions. In addition, he might also be named…

One person was killed and another was injured in an accident in Warner Robins on Oct. 8. The driver responsible for the crash ran a red light at what appears to be high speed, causing the fatal accident. Police report that around 9:15 a.m., a 22-year-old Warner Robins woman was making a left turn from Burns Drive onto Russell Parkway when her 2002 Mazda Tribute was hit by a 2000 Ford F250 pickup truck, driven by a 34-year-old Perry man, that had just run a red light. The Mazda had the green light for the turn at the time of the accident. The skid marks from the Ford at the scene began before the stop line of the traffic light. The Mazda crashed into a barrier protecting some nearby gas pumps, and the driver's side seating area and the back of the car were crushed. The pickup truck stopped on…

  While Georgia prohibits adults who are behind the wheel of a motor vehicle from a specific type of cellphone use, texting, many states have enacted bans on cellphone use altogether while driving. In large part, the reason that lawmakers in Georgia and other states enacted these bans is the troubling correlation between cellphone use while driving and traffic accidents resulting in death or injuries, as expounded by various statistics and studies. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving can be a mortal mistake. Reportedly, distracted drivers caused 18 percent of deadly traffic accidents throughout the country in 2010. In this way, distracted driving was responsible for the deaths of 3,092 people in total. In that same year, 2010, crashes attributed to distracted driving caused 416,000 people to suffer injuries, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports. A Pew survey indicates that four out of every 10…