Driver error is the only factor that contributed to a fatal crash on Ga. 400 in Forsyth County involving a sedan and a carbon dioxide transport truck that heavily impacted traffic Monday morning, officials said.
The crash took place just before 8:30 a.m. on Ga. 400 South between exits 13 and 14, Forsyth sheriff’s office spokeswoman Stacie Miller said. A 2016 Hyundai Elantra was traveling south in the middle lane while a 2016 HINO single-tanker truck carrying CO2 and multiple other gas canisters was traveling in the right lane. The Hyundai failed to maintain its lane and hit the truck, causing both vehicles to flip off the highway, Miller said.
The pressurized gas canisters scattered across the road, according to Forsyth fire spokesman Division Chief Jason Shivers, but there was no danger of a gas leak and a hazardous materials team monitored the cleanup.
The Hyundai was occupied by two women, Shivers said. The passenger, identified as 54-year-old Sharon Hall, was flown to a trauma center with critical injuries. She was pronounced dead later Monday. Shivers said the driver was taken to a hospital by ambulance and was considered stable.
The driver of the truck was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
When fire and rescue crews responded, they were forced to shut down all southbound lanes to get the passenger out of the Hyundai, Shivers said. The truck had come to rest on top of their small car, and Shivers said extrication “took quite some time.”
The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the crash, Miller said.
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