GSP: ‘Corrections will be made' after crash that killed Braves trainer's wife

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By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Georgia State Patrol trooper involved in the New Year's Eve crash that killed the wife of Braves trainer Jeff Porter had been put on notice by an internal review board following a wreck last February, his fourth accident since November 2008.

Channel 2 Action News Kathy Porter was a passenger in the Ford Expedition being driven by her husband, Jeff, when it was hit by Trooper 1st Class Donald Crozier's patrol car on Dec. 31.

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Trooper 1st Class Donald Crozier, who was fired Friday, received a "letter of concern" following the February incident.

The review board concluded Crozier was at fault for failing to yield the right of way to a vehicle making a left turn in front of him at the intersection of H.E. Holmes Drive and Burton Road, according to GSP spokesman Capt. Paul Cosper. No one was injured.

Crozier received the harshest punishment doled out by the board short of a "letter of reprimand," which can result in termination, Cosper said.

"It pretty much tells you that you need to correct your behavior immediately," he said. But Crozier's patrol duties weren't limited following the letter of concern.

According to a preliminary report on the Dec. 31 fatal crash -- Crozier's fifth accident in a little more than three years -- the 10-year GSP veteran, "failed to use due regard when traveling through the intersection on a red traffic signal."

Citing witnesses, the report concluded that Crozier steered his Dodge Charger "around other vehicles that were stopped on Memorial Drive for the red signal prior to making impact" with Porter's SUV, which was traveling northbound on Capitol Avenue.

Kathy Porter died at the scene. Jeff Porter, his son David, 19, and a fourth passenger, Courtney Ann Williams, 18, of Grayson, also were hurt. The group was on its way to the Chick-fil-A Bowl when the crash occurred.

"This is a very unfortunate situation for everyone involved," Cosper said. "You can rest assured corrections will be made. People expect us to enforce the law in a just and fair manner, and we will hold ourselves to that same standard."

Changes to the agency's training and disciplinary measures are under review, said Cosper, though specifics won't be announced until the final report of the collision is completed.

"The investigations are continuing and the findings from each will be presented to [Fulton County] District Attorney Paul Howard for his consideration of charges when the investigations are concluded," Col. Mark W. McDonough, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, said in a statement Friday.

Cosper did not have a timetable for the report's completion but said it is proceeding in a "expeditious fashion."

Crozier is cooperating fully, Cosper said.

In a statement released Saturday through his attorney Saturday, the trooper said he was "suffering emotionally and physically as a result of the accident, but it is nothing compared to what the Porter family is going through."