2 motorists killed, 1 injured in 3 Cobb crashes

Two men were killed and one was seriously injured in three separate crashes in Cobb County on Thursday and Friday.

Two men were killed and one was seriously injured in three separate crashes in Cobb County on Thursday and Friday.

Two men were killed and one was seriously injured in three separate crashes in Cobb County on Thursday and Friday.

A motorcyclist was killed Thursday evening after colliding with an SUV that turned in front of him at a busy intersection in east Cobb County, authorities said.

A Lincoln SUV was traveling east on Roswell Road in Marietta and attempted to make a left turn onto Providence Road when a BMW motorcycle traveling west struck the vehicle just before 7 p.m., Cobb County police spokeswoman Shenise Barner said in a news release.

The front of the motorcycle, driven by 58-year-old Casey Sullivan, collided with the right side of the Lincoln in the intersection, Barner said. Sullivan was thrown from his bike due to the impact.

An off-duty registered nurse, who was traveling on Roswell Road and arrived at the scene shortly after the crash, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the motorcycle was completely shattered to the point where “you could hardly recognize that it was a bike.”

After the motorcycle came to a stop in the middle of the intersection, the Lincoln continued onto Providence Road and collided with the front of a Toyota Tundra, authorities confirmed.

EMS officials arrived shortly after and Sullivan was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later pronounced dead.

The driver of the Lincoln was not injured but the passenger, a 16-year-old boy, sustained minor injuries, police said. The driver of the Toyota and three passengers were not hurt, Barner confirmed.

About eight miles away in Smyrna, another man was killed Thursday in a head-on collision.

A Nissan Sentra driven by 37-year-old Jose Alberto Lopez Salvador was traveling west on Cooper Lake Road when it crossed over the center line and collided with a Toyota Highlander at about 2:30 p.m., Barner said.

Salvador was taken to Wellstar Cobb Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. The three passengers in his car were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities confirmed. The driver of the Toyota was not injured.

On Friday morning, a pedestrian was hit by his disabled pickup truck after another vehicle collided with it, police said.

Omar Garcia, 31, was driving a Ford pickup truck on I-75 North near the Barrett Parkway overpass about 3:30 a.m. when he failed to maintain his lane while going around a curve, Barner said. The truck hit a concrete barrier and began to barrel roll, police said.

Investigators said they believe Garcia then got out of his truck and stood on the shoulder of the highway.

That’s when a Freightliner towing a semi-trailer hit the truck, causing it to rotate counterclockwise and hit Garcia. He was thrown forward into the travel lanes, Barner confirmed.

Garcia was taken to Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries, police said. The driver of the Freightliner was not injured.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.