A University of Georgia graduate who had recently completed medical school was killed after a drunken driver smashed into his car, officials said.
Tyler Wallace, 26, of Fayetteville, was driving home from his post-medical training class in Smyrna at the time of the Jan. 18 crash, according to a GoFundMe organized by his family to cover the cost of his medical expenses, memorial service and burial.
As he turned left onto Highlands Parkway Drive from the Highlands Grove Business Park, Brent Douglas Davis’ 2014 Toyota Tundra hit the driver’s side of Wallace’s 2016 Chrysler 200, police said in an arrest warrant obtained Monday by AJC.com.
First responders had to cut the door off its hinges to free Wallace from the Chrysler. He was rushed to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries and died two days later.
Police at the scene of the wreck asked Davis to step out of his truck to speak with them, the warrant said. An officer noticed he was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred.
Asked if he had been drinking, Davis “crossed his arms, looked away from (the officer) and said no,” the warrant said.
The officer asked him several more times if he was under the influence of alcohol, and Davis repeatedly said no without making eye contact. He then refused a field sobriety test, the warrant said.
Police arrested Davis on suspicion of driving under the influence and took him to the Smyrna jail.
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Cobb County Sheriff's Office
Investigators later found several unopened cans of beer in his truck within arm’s reach of the driver’s seat.
Davis, 49, is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide and driving under the influence of alcohol. He was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, where he remains with no bond.
Wallace graduated from UGA in 2016 and then from Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in May 2019, the GoFundMe said.
Credit: GoFundMe
Credit: GoFundMe
He completed his United States Medical Licensing Examination the following month to begin practicing physical therapy.
Wallace's funeral will be held Saturday at Heritage Christian Church in Fayetteville.
As of Monday afternoon, donors had contributed nearly $29,000 to the $100,000 GoFundMe fundraising goal.
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