At least 16 people were killed in vehicle crashes and another four drowned over the Memorial Day weekend throughout Georgia. A number of incidents remain under investigation and the official tally could climb.
Two wrong-way crashes in Forsyth and Hall counties killed five people — including an 8-year-old boy — in less than 90 minutes early Sunday, according to investigators. Two children also drowned in state waters.
Game wardens with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were prepared for a busy holiday weekend, and the sunny weather sent many to state lakes and rivers. A 3-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were among those who drowned in North Georgia.
On Lake Lanier, the search continued Wednesday for the Cobb County man who left his inflatable raft to retrieve an oar when he went under. Xi Zhu, 56, of Marietta, never resurfaced after going under in the Shoal Creek area, investigators said.
In Lumpkin County, a 15-year-old was swimming with family members Monday afternoon in Dicks Creek within the Chattahoochee National Forest when he slipped on a rock and went under, the DNR said. Firefighters later recovered the teen’s body. On Tuesday, Lumpkin Coroner identified him as Michael Cole Jr., who lived in Lithonia.
The popular swimming spot was the site of a double drowning four years ago. A man and his 6-year-old son died there in June 2017.
“The waters are inviting,” Lt. Alan Roach with the Lumpkin sheriff’s office told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a waterfall and you’ll see other people swimming in the pool below it and people want to join in. But they need to realize their abilities.”
In northwest Georgia, a 3-year-old was found unresponsive in Carter’s Lake in Murray County, according to the DNR. Family members attempted lifesaving measures before game wardens and deputies arrived, but the child did not survive. He was identified by the Murray coroner as Malachi Holden of Calhoun.
In central Georgia, a 21-year-old man drowned Saturday in the Ocmulgee River in Twiggs County. His body was later recovered in nine feet of water.
On Tuesday, a group of 10 people attempted to swim across the Chattahoochee River near Azalea Park on the line between Cobb and Fulton counties, but two did not make it to the other side. One person was rescued, but the search continued Wednesday for a missing 17-year-old boy.
Across the state, 30 people were cited for boating under the influence, the DNR reported.
State troopers and local agencies investigated dozens of crashes that killed at least 16 people. By 6 a.m. Saturday, troopers had investigated a fatal crash in Gwinnett County, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
A wrong-way driver is blamed in a two-vehicle crash on Ga 365 that killed three people in Hall County early Sunday. The crash happened around 12:10 a.m. just south of Kubota Way.
According to the Hall sheriff’s office, Daney Nava, 27, was driving a 2013 Volkswagen Jetta south on the northbound lane when she hit a northbound 2015 Jeep Patriot Sport. The Jeep, driven by Kristen Nicole Mitchell, 23, of Cleveland, Georgia, flipped on its side and caught fire. She died in the crash which also killed Nava and an 8-year-old passenger, Darnell Fernando Fidencio, the sheriff’s office said. Both Nava and Fidencio lived in Lilburn.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a second wrong-way driver on Ga. 400 is believed to have caused a crash that killed two men.
Just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Silas Brown, 35, of Atlanta was driving a black Alfa Romeo Stelvio, traveling southbound in the northbound lanes, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Before deputies could intervene, a “violent crash” happened between the Majors Road and the Shiloh Road overpasses, according to police. Brown struck a silver Lexus IS 250 driven by Tarik Kindell of Cumming, and one of the vehicles burst into flames.
Both drivers died at the scene.
Troopers from the following State Patrol posts also investigated fatal crashes: Thomasville, Dublin, Hinesville, Cartersville, Gainesville and Manchester. Chatham County and Dalton police departments and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office also investigated deadly crashes over the weekend.
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