Speed and alcohol are a dangerous combination on the highways of Georgia. Police say the two factors were involved in a crash that injured a Lumpkin deputy.
Law enforcement officers do a hazardous job and are often on the front line when car, truck and motorcycle accidents occur.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported a driver is facing charges of possession of an alcoholic beverage while operating a vehicle, failure to maintain a lane, serious injury by vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving too fast for conditions.
The charges relate to a crash in wet conditions in early April. The AJC reported Georgia State Patrol responded to the crash at Ga. 115 east of Ed Lewis Road in White County.
The teen driver is accused of losing control of his vehicle, causing a wreck. He was driving a Toyota Tacoma west on Ga. 115. Police said he lost control of the pickup when he approached a left-hand curve. He veered onto the north shoulder, over-corrected across a centerline and struck a Honda Odyssey head-on, according to Georgia State Patrol Cmdr. Curtis Bradshaw.
Crash injured a Lumpkin deputy
The report stated the force of the crash sent the Odyssey across the road and onto the south shoulder. It crashed into a mailbox and went through a yard before landing in a ditch. The driver of the Odyssey was identified as Theresa McCain, 60, of Ball Ground.
State patrol officers reported the Tacoma rolled down an embankment, rotated counter-clockwise and struck the right side of the patrol car Lumpkin deputy Donald Lewis was in.
The force of the impact spun the patrol car around and it came to rest in an eastbound lane facing southward, according to the GSP.
The AJC report stated Lewis was a certified peace officer in Georgia since 2010. He was employed by Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office since 2016. He suffered several broken bones and cuts.
All three motorists who were injured in the accident were treated at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. GSP said they all wore seatbelts and their injuries were listed as non-life-threatening.
DUI crashes can be indiscriminate. Last September, a sheriff’s deputy in Dundee in Georgia was injured in a crash caused by an alleged drunk driver.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash in Georgia, please call The Law Office of Michael West at (404) 913-1529.