A wrong-way driver prompted a head-on collision that left one person dead and five others injured Thursday evening in Paulding County, according to authorities.
The fatal wreck occurred just before 6 p.m. along Ga. 61 near Country Square Way, the Georgia State Patrol said in an emailed statement.
According to investigators, a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt was driving south in the northbound lane toward a Dodge Journey minivan. The driver of the van swerved into the southbound lane to avoid the head-on crash, but so did the Chevy sedan, GSP spokeswoman Lt. Stephanie Stallings said.
The two vehicles collided, killing the driver of the Cobalt and injuring others, including two children. Officials said there were two people in the Chevrolet and four inside the Dodge.
A 7-year-old girl riding in the back of the minivan was not sitting in an appropriate child seat, investigators said. She suffered lacerations to her head and was flown to a hospital. A 1-year-old girl in the van was taken to the hospital for observations after the crash, but wasn’t seriously injured, according to the GSP. She was sitting in a car seat, but wasn’t properly strapped.
A front seat passenger was not wearing a seat belt and suffered a broken leg, authorities said. The driver of the Dodge, who was wearing a seat belt, also suffered a leg injury.
The passenger in the Chevrolet broke their leg and injured their back, authorities said.
The driver who was killed was identified as Juanita Robinson, 48, of Dallas, according to Lt. Stallings. The crash remains under investigation, and authorities are still working to determine if any charges will be filed.
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