Eighteen people were killed on Georgia roads over the holiday weekend, up from five during the same time last year.
Of the 18 killed, 11 were on metro Atlanta roads, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety. The numbers include fatal wrecks over a 78-hour period, beginning at 6 p.m. Friday until midnight Monday.
In Atlanta, a recent Georgia Tech honor graduate was killed when his motorcycle was hit from behind Monday night on Moreland Avenue by an alleged drunk driver. Liam Rattray was thrown from the bike and hit by another motorist, Atlanta police said. In a separate wreck, a motorcyclist attempting to flee from state troopers was killed when he slammed into a vehicle, Lt. Paul Cosper with the Georgia State Patrol said. Clarence Collymore, 26, of Ellenwood, died in the Monday night wreck.
Two people died and five others were injured in a wreck Monday near the Gwinnett County and Walton County line when a 22-year-old driver crossed the center line on Ozora Church Road, the Georgia State Patrol said. The driver, Jacob Reagan, and a passenger, Rajshed Tersaud, 20, both died.
Another person was killed in a separate motorcycle wreck Saturday morning in Norcross following a police chase that began in Lilburn, Capt. Brian Harr with Norcross police told the AJC. The victim's name has not yet been released.
In Cobb County, Erik Abarca, 19, of Lithia Springs, died early Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle on I-20, police said. Abarca had lost control of his vehicle, causing it to flip, and was standing next to it when he was hit by an oncoming car. He died at the scene.
Saturday afternoon, Jose L. Maldonato III, 23, of Woodstock, was critically injured when he apparently swerved to avoid being struck by another vehicle at the intersection of Canton and Shallowford roads, Sgt. Dana Pierce with Cobb County police said. Maldonato died Monday from injuries sustained in the crash, Pierce said.
Three people died in two separate wrecks in Coweta County, the state patrol reported.
Friday night, investigators believe 16-year-old Taylor McKee, of Roopville, ran a red light and struck a Honda Civic driven by 29-year-old Linda Leflore. Both McKee and Leflore were killed.
Another person died Saturday night in Coweta County after allegedly turning in front of another vehicle, the state patrol said.
Other fatal wrecks were reported in the Dalton, Hinesville, Albany and Helena areas.
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