Officials ID Cumming city employee hit by truck, killed in parking lot

Officials on Wednesday identified a Cumming city employee who died earlier this week when she was hit by a truck in a parking lot.

In a statement, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Stacie Miller said the employee was hit at about 7 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of the City of Cumming Water Facilities on Dahlonega Highway. She was pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said.

The 44-year-old was identified as Crystal Sawyer, an inventory clerk in the Cumming Utilities Distribution and Collection Division. City officials said they withheld naming her to give the family time to grieve.

“As we stated on Monday, everyone at the City of Cumming is completely devastated following this horrible accident,” City Administrator Phil Higgins said in a statement. “But we are now prepared to release the name of the beloved City of Cumming employee whose life was tragically cut short during Monday’s tragedy.”

Sawyer had been employed by the city since Sept. 8, 2020, initially working in the Utilities Billing Division at City Hall. On June 28, 2023, she transferred to the Utilities Distribution and Collection Division headquarters along Dahlonega Highway, where she was struck in the building’s parking lot, officials said.

Higgins said the city was “devastated” to lose one of their “treasured” employees.

“In addition to her work life, Crystal was a wonderful wife and mother, beloved daughter, sister and friend to so many,” Higgins said. “I cannot stress enough how completely heartbroken everyone at the City of Cumming is following Crystal’s passing. We are all keeping her family in our prayers as they navigate these very difficult days.”

Miller said the crash remains under investigation.

In honor of Sawyer, officials said flags at all Cumming facilities will be flown at half-staff from Friday through the end of day on March 21. A visitation service will be held Sunday at the McDonald and Son Funeral Home in Cumming, according to her obituary.

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