Three people were taken to area hospitals Wednesday after a multi-vehicle accident shut down Ga. 20 in Cherokee County for nearly four hours.
The accident, which involved a tractor-trailer, two pickup trucks and a passenger car, happened about 3:15 p.m. near Beavers Road, according to a news release from Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services.
A Ford Super Duty pickup truck driven by a 15-year-old boy was traveling eastbound on Cumming Highway, also known as Ga. 20, when the driver clipped the back of a Toyota Avalon that slowed in an attempt to avoid a collision, the Georgia State Patrol said in an emailed statement.
After clipping the Toyota, the Ford pickup truck crossed into the westbound lanes and hit a tractor-trailer head on, the State Patrol said. The tractor-trailer struck a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
The teen driver of the pickup had to be extracted from the Ford. He was flown to Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital by a medical helicopter. His 77-year-old grandfather, a passenger in the truck, was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, authorities said.
Wilbert D. Bernard of College Park, the 43-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer, was taken to Northside Hospital-Cherokee, the State Patrol said. Jimmy West of Canton, the 81-year-old driver of the Chevrolet pickup truck, was taken to North Fulton Hospital, according to the release.
The 15-year-old boy, whose name was not released, was charged with following too closely, the State Patrol said.
The wreck remains under investigation.
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