New details were released Monday in a four-vehicle crash that killed a popular Georgia high school coach.
According to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the daughter of Dawson County High School soccer coach Gerard “Jed” Lacey was among those injured in the pileup, which occurred just after 6 a.m. Saturday on Ga. 400 South.
The girl and her boyfriend were in the back seat of a 2012 Dodge Ram when the truck entered the right lane of Ga. 400 South, hit a dump truck, began to spin sideways and struck another dump truck, sheriff’s Deputy Doug Rainwater said Monday.
A tire from the second dump truck hit a fourth vehicle. That vehicle struck the first dump truck.
Lacey, who was driving the Dodge Ram, was pronounced dead on the scene just north of Bald Ridge Marina Road, according to the sheriff’s office. He was 58 years old.
Lacey’s daughter and her boyfriend were taken to an area hospital in serious condition, Rainwater said. The sheriff’s office did not release their names.
No one else was injured in the pileup, Rainwater said.
While the boyfriend was still in the hospital, the daughter was released and returned to school Monday.
“She told her mother that she wanted to come to school today and let things be as normal as they possibly can at a time like this,” Dawson County High School principal Richard Crumley told Channel 2 Action News.
As the sheriff’s office continued to investigate the cause of the crash, grief counselors were at Dawson County High School on Monday to help students and staff affected by Lacey’s death.
Many gathered Sunday night to remember a man described by the district in a Facebook post as “a great teacher, coach, and overall great man.”
Team members said they plan to dedicate the season to Lacey.
“You never doubted he loved you,” one student told Channel 2. “He always called us his kids."
RELATED: Read and sign the online guestbook for Jed Lacey
Know what’s really going on with crime and public safety in your metro Atlanta community, including breaking news, trial coverage, trends and the latest on unsolved cases. Sign up for the AJC’s crime and safety newsletter delivered weekly to your inbox.
About the Author
