17 killed on Georgia roads over Thanksgiving weekend, a decrease from 2023

Crashes killed 17 people across the state during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Georgia Department of Public Safety said Monday.

That’s down from the 2023 holiday, when 23 people were killed between Wednesday at 6 p.m. and 11:59 p.m. Sunday. This year, a record number of travelers were expected to make road trips for the holiday, and law enforcement agencies pledged to be out in full force.

Several deadly crashes remained under investigation in metro Atlanta, including in Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb counties.

Investigators believe alcohol was a factor in a deadly head-on collision in Gwinnett County on Wednesday evening, according to Lawrenceville police. The crash happened around 6 p.m. on Buford Drive at Hurricane Shoals.

ExploreCobb police search for driver who hit, killed man near Smyrna

A vehicle northbound on Buford Drive crossed over into the southbound lanes and struck a Nissan Rogue head-on, killing the SUV’s driver, police said. The driver suspected of causing the crash and several passengers were injured but survived, police said.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or might have any other information is asked to contact police at 770-670-5135 or by emailing the investigator at TCoble@LawrencevillePD.com.

Early Saturday, a man walking outside of a marked crosswalk was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Cobb County, police said.

The crash happened on Pat Mell Road, west of Benson Avenue, at 4:31 a.m., Sgt. Eric Smith with Cobb police said. A driver traveling west struck Jose Ortega-Dominguez, 30, of Smyrna, who died at the scene.

Anyone with information on either the driver or the vehicle involved is asked to contact the Cobb police STEP Unit at 770-499-3987.

Outside of metro Atlanta, a multi-car crash on Thanksgiving Day killed two people in Augusta near the intersection of Windsor Spring and Willis Foreman roads, The Augusta Chronicle reported.

One driver died at the scene and another driver later died at the hospital, according to the report.

State troopers from various posts around the state also investigated fatal crashes. Those posts included Forsyth, Rincon, Thomasville, LaGrange, Athens, Valdosta, Reidsville, and Dodge County, according to the state patrol.

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