“For reasons unknown,” Gwinnett County police said, 85-year-old Lula Rome turned left from the “fast lane” of Ga. 316 westbound, eschewing the turn lane in attempt to make it on to Winder Highway.
Her Jeep Grand Cherokee collided with a tractor-trailer instead.
“The tractor-trailer jack-knifed and came to rest just beyond the intersection, and the Jeep overturned, coming to rest in the grass,” Gwinnett police Cpl. Michele Pihera said in a news release.
Rome and her passenger, 56-year-old Deirdre Hudson, died from injuries sustained in the Tuesday afternoon crash. The relationship between the women was unclear, but incident reports showed both lived at the same address in Snellville.
The tractor-trailer driver, a 48-year-old Arkansas man who was headed east on Ga. 316, was not injured. The highway was shut down in both directions following the crash, which happened around 3 p.m.
The crash happened about two miles from Ga. 316's intersection with Harbins Road, where two teenage brothers were killed in a collision on Oct. 30.
Earlier Tuesday, another highway crash claimed a life in Forsyth County.
According to Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Detective Epifanio Rodriguez, 49-year-old Gainesville resident Franklin Smith attempted to turn left from McFarland Parkway on the Ga. 400 northbound ramp when his Toyota Corolla was hit by a Ford Mustang. Authorities believe Smith “had the green arrow” to turn when he was struck.
The investigation is ongoing.
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