Two people were killed and two others were injured in a motor vehicle accident that occurred in Georgia, near the Tennessee border, on the morning of July 11. Investigators say a Ford Mustang headed west on Interstate 24 drove into the median, slid sideways, and collided with a vehicle in the eastbound lanes. The impact caused the Mustang to strike two other vehicles, one of which flipped. While speaking with local media, a trooper with the Georgia State Patrol said he suspected the crash took place at 'interstate speeds." All four vehicles involved in the wreck contained a single occupant. Investigators are still uncertain what caused the driver of the Mustang, a woman from Wisconsin, to drive across the median. She reportedly had a cellphone in her hand as her body was extricated from the Mustang. Several motorists stopped got out of their vehicles to call 911 or offer assistance…

A 32-year-old woman with an outstanding vehicular homicide warrant in another county is believed to have caused a seven-car crash on Georgia Highway 316 in Lawrenceville on May 25, 2014. She was treated at a local hospital, released to authorities, and taken to the Gwinnett County jail, where she awaited transfer to DeKalb County authorities. The car accident occurred at about 3:20 p.m. below the Suwanwee Road Bridge. Police related that witnesses told them the woman was driving in the emergency lane. One vehicle flipped several times as a result of the impact. Two people in another car required removal from their vehicle. Injuries to four people required them to be transported to Gwinnett Medical Center where a 39-year-old female from Lawrenceville died. One remained hospitalized. Two were treated and released. The 32-year-old driver had a duty to drive her vehicle in a legal lane of traffic. She also had a…

There are plenty of drivers in Macon who may prioritize safe driving no matter what the situation might be. However, car wrecks can happen to any driver at any time with little or no warning, time to prepare, or immediately detectable reason. In a case that Georgia patrol officers are still investigating, one man has left two others dead and one injured in a car accident on the freeway, but an actual cause for the accident itself has yet to be determined. The man who was driving the vehicle that struck the victims was taken to Appling Hospital for a precautionary check-up to ensure that no damage had been sustained. However, the car that he hit lost 2 people, ages 23 and 24. In addition, one woman in the car needed to be flown to a medical center for emergency attention. According to police reports, the accident occurred shortly before midnight…

No one really needs to be told drunk driving is something that should be avoided. During the last 30 years, there has been an endless stream of studies examining and explaining the dangers of drunk driving. Additionally, the penalties for drunk driving have been ratcheted up, year after year, with significant fines and severe punishment likely outcomes of any DUI arrest and conviction. With tonight being St. Patrick's Day, announcements again have been made by the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety to warn residents that Georgia state troopers, county sheriffs and local police will all be out in force on the roads to prevent drunk driving accidents. The death, destruction and mayhem caused by alcohol impaired driving are truly staggering. In 2013 alone, the number of people killed in Georgia in alcohol-related collisions increased by six percent to 161. Many people may dismiss 161 as rather insignificant compared with the population…

A car crash on I-285 near the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport left one woman dead and snarled traffic for more than two hours, as police shut down the highway. The crash occurred at approximately 4 a.m. when it appears the woman driving the car hit the guardrail. The police report her car was disabled by the crash and had stopped in the traffic lanes. Apparently, she exited the vehicle, and shortly after that, she was struck by her own vehicle as it was hit by another vehicle. When the police arrived at the scene of the car accident, she was found deceased. This situation is among the worse for any motorist to encounter, as remaining in your vehicle would be unsafe, because of the likelihood of the vehicle being struck by oncoming traffic. At the same time, leaving a vehicle exposes a person to the risk of being struck directly by traffic,…

You never think your are driving to a car accident. You get in their car or truck, and head down the road in Macon, or to destinations unknown in Georgia, but you never believe it will be your last drive. Certainly, Paul Walker and Roger Rodas did not believe when they left the charity event on Saturday they were going to crash within minutes. Sure, the car they were driving, a red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT was temperamental and could be dangerous if mishandled. But, they were both experienced racecar drivers. The driver could easily handle the Porsche on a city street well enough to avoid a car accident. Nonetheless, the Carrera GT struck a utility pole and exploded into flames, killing both men. Police ruled out that they were street racing with another car, but they suspect speed played a role in the accident. The Carrera GT is a car…

Last week, just north of Atlanta, in the town of Milton, a woman had a very narrow escape. As she drove along the road, she suddenly heard a "huge boom" and when she finally recognized what had happened, she could only say, "Oh my God, oh my God." Her left hand had been crushed by the impact of a 9-lb rock the size of a volleyball had crashed through the windscreen on her vehicle. She was incredibly lucky, as police calculated the rock was moving at close to 100 mph when hit struck her vehicle. Of course, if the rock had hit any part of her body besides her hand, the outcome would have been far worse. Instead of a damaged vehicle and an injured hand, her name would like to have been added to the list of fatalities from car accidents in Georgia this year. The rock it the windscreen…

Because we drive them every day, the streets, roads, and highways around, Macon and Warner Robins, can appear ordinary and unthreatening. Being familiar, they can lull us into a sense of complacency, where we think, "We've driven the road a 1000 times, we know every mile..." However, like water flowing in a river, the traffic on a road like I-75 is never exactly the same. This week, two people died on I-75 in a fatal car accident when they stopped to fix a flat tire and were struck by as many as six vehicles. The Morrow Police department was investigating the accident that occurred on I-75 at the ramp to Jonesboro Road. The two victims were from Texas and were identified as brother and sister. The accident happened when they stopped their vehicle in the "gore" of the road, the extra lane that develops when an on-ramp angles into the main road.…

Driving north from central Georgia, one quickly runs into the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains, and while they lack the altitude of the Rockies, they can present many a challenge to a driver, from heavy rains and fog in summer to ice and snow in winter. These roads can be risky even in dry conditions, but when the weather turns dangerous roads can become deadly. In Virginia last weekend, a torrential rainstorm caused a 41-vehicle crash that shut down a section of Interstate 81 for hours and sent 10 people to the hospital, including two who need to be airlifted from the scene. The heavy rain combined with the sun coming out at one point, caused visibility to drop to less than 20 feet, according to one witness. Police attributed the car accidents to the rain and driving too fast for the conditions. These mass pile-ups can lead to horrific consequences,…

Drivers often overestimate their driving ability. As the tagline from the radio program says, all drivers believe they are above average. Combine this overconfidence bias with the familiarity of driving the same roads every day, and it can lead to tragic results. This is why people use a cellphone, send text messages or eat while driving. They believe they can handle it. The truth is, driving is an immensely difficult task, with the brain receiving hundreds of inputs every second for things that could be significant or important. Sometimes our brains are sidetracked by other activities like reading a text or changing radio stations. Most of the time, it does not matter. Nevertheless, at the wrong moment, that inattention can be the trigger for a tragic car accident. Even highly skilled and trained drivers can suffer that one unlucky moment. Yesterday, a crash occurred in Columbus that killed one undercover…