Crashes on Georgia roads killed at least 20 people over the Independence Day weekend and injured several others, according to state and local police.
One person drowned at Lake Lanier, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said. DNR wardens may have prevented other tragedies: 37 people were cited for boating under the influence on state waters, according to the agency.
The numbers are up slightly from this year’s Memorial Day holiday weekend, when at least 20 people died, including five in a boating crash.
Experts had warned a record number of travelers planned to hit the road for the holiday. Before the weekend could officially kick off, four were killed in a six-vehicle crash on I-95 near the Georgia-Florida line, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The crash temporarily closed both sides of the interstate.
By 6 a.m. Saturday, a deadly crash was under investigation in Sandy Springs, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety. The number of fatal crashes continued to climb throughout the weekend, prompting several words of advice from DPS on social media.
“Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time.”
“Slow Down and #ArriveAlive.”
“Don’t Drive Impaired!”
In Cobb County, a 49-year-old Marietta man was killed in a hit-and-run while crossing Austell Road shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, according to police.
The man, whose name is being withheld pending family notification, had been walking across Austell Road outside of a crosswalk just north of its intersection with Barber Road. He was struck by a vehicle that was traveling northbound, police said. Investigators asked for the public’s help in locating the vehicle, possibly a Chevrolet, which may have damage on its front near the bumper, grille or hood, the release states.
State Patrol deputies around the state investigated deadly crashes, including from posts Thomasville, Villa Rica, Thomasville, Athens, Statesboro, Perry, Valdosta, Douglas, and Forest Park. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Whitfield Sheriff’s Office, Bartow Sheriff’s Office, Effingham County sheriff’s office, and the Columbus County police department also investigated fatality crashes, DPS said. Late Monday, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County police, and Fitzgerald police also investigated deadly crashes.
Metro Atlanta police agencies also investigated numerous wrecks with serious injuries.
Several people were injured at a Paulding County gas station Sunday morning after a man crashed through the parking lot before taking his own life, authorities confirmed.
According to the Paulding sheriff’s office, the crash took place just after 10 a.m. at the Exxon on Ga. 101 across from the Roses Store in the Union community. The driver of a white GMC Sierra crew cab truck appeared to purposefully drive off the road and through the gas station’s sign, investigators said.
The vehicle hit multiple vehicles in the parking lot and some gas pumps, according to investigators. Several people who were at the gas station were injured. The man shot himself and later died from his injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
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