The new year started on a grim note on Georgia roads, where investigators reported 13 deaths in crashes, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
That’s down from the Christmas holiday weekend, when 20 were killed in crashes. But it’s up drastically from the two deaths reported in early 2020, when New Year’s Day landed on a Wednesday.
Among those killed during the recent holiday was a veteran DeKalb County police sergeant. Sgt. Daniel Mobley died Saturday after being struck by a vehicle on the Downtown Connector, according to police.
Mobley, a 22-year veteran of the department, was hit by a car about 9 a.m. while responding to a crash involving another DeKalb officer near the Williams Street exit. He was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, but pronounced dead on arrival, DeKalb police said. Mobley was 44.
Funeral arrangements were pending Monday for Mobley. A passerby who saw the wreck created an online fundraising page to assist Mobley’s family, including a young son.
“As a son of 29-year veteran Sgt. David Reese of the Urbana Police Department, this traumatic event hit close to home for me,” Austin Reese posted on the GoFundMe page.
The crash that killed Mobley remained under investigation Monday.
State troopers and local police agencies around the state investigated dozens of crashes beginning at 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The holiday travel period was 78 hours long, according to the DPS.
Troopers from posts in Marietta, Cartersville, Americus, Dalton, Douglas and Waycross investigated fatal crashes.
While investigating 474 traffic crashes, troopers arrested 372 people for allegedly driving under the influence, the DPS said. Some 7,976 citations and 9,237 warnings were also issued.
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