A retired DeKalb County police officer is in a hospital with serious injuries after he was hit by a tractor-trailer during a funeral procession, officials said.
Billy Caughron, 57, of Auburn, was struck about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday at the entrance of the Georgia National Cemetery on Knox Bridge Highway in Canton. The retired officer regularly assists with funeral escorts to the cemetery, Cherokee sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Jay Baker said.
Caughron was on his personal motorcycle at the time.
“Preliminary indications are the motorcycle pulled out of the cemetery in front of the tractor-trailer,” Baker said.
He was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital, where he was stable Wednesday. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt.
The accident remains under investigation, Baker said, and no charges have been filed.
The road was temporarily closed while authorities worked to clear the wreck, causing major traffic woes for several hours through Cherokee County.
The wreck also caused bus delays as schools were dismissed in the area, the Cherokee County School District said in an alert to parents.
At Knox Elementary School STEM Academy, routes 141, 179, 452 and 485 were rerouted. Routes 96, 110, 476 and 533 at Teasley Middle School and Cherokee High School were also rerouted.
The delays added more than 30 minutes to afternoon commutes from school. The school district provided water bottles to children on the buses without water.
In other news:
About the Author
