Many fatal accidents in Georgia occur when cars leave the road and hit trees or utility poles. Sadly, this was the scenario in Dawson County in September when a student basketball player was killed when his car veered off the road.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Ross Morkem, 19, was a 2016 graduate of Lambert High School in Cumming.
The University of North Georgia student and basketball player was killed in a north Georgia car crash in September.
The crash occurred at 1.10 a.m. The AJC reported Morkem’s car was traveling south when it veered off the west shoulder, according to the Georgia State Police. The vehicle kept going along the shoulder for more than 200 feet and crashed into a utility pole. It ended up on the west shoulder facing south.
Georgia State Patrol said there were no other cars involved in the wreck and no passengers in Morkem’s 2010 Ford Mustang.
Student basketball player was killed in northern Georgia
University of North Georgia men’s basketball coach Chris Faulkner praised the basketball player in a statement. He said:
“Our Nighthawk family suffered a tremendous loss …Our thoughts and prayers are with the Morkem family, friends and his teammates. He represented North Georgia in a first-class manner and was an excellent teammate during his time at UNG. Everyone that came in contact with Ross loved him.”
Morkem averaged 8.1 points per game. The promising young student was named a 2016-17 Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll Presidential Scholar.
Over the summer months, car accidents involving teens typically spike. There is a range of factors that cause cars to run off the road including fatigue, inattention, alcohol and distracted driving.
The 2008 National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed about 22 percent of the vehicles studied in crashes ran off the edge of the road.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car accidents are the leading cause of teen deaths.
Mile-for-mile death rates for teen drivers aged 15 to 19 are triple those of other motorists. The months of June, July and August are the deadliest for teens aged 15 to 19.
According to AAA, teen crashes spike by 15 percent on average over the summer months.
Teen drivers are more likely to become involved in fatal crashes during what AAA describes as the “100 deadliest days” from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
If you have been injured in a car crash, you may have grounds to sue an at-fault driver. Call the Law Offices of Michael West at (404) 913-1529.