Speed and alcohol were factors in a three-vehicle crash that injured a Lumpkin County sheriff’s deputy and two others, officials said Monday.
Jarren Rece Clark is facing charges of possession of an alcoholic beverage while operating a vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, failure to maintain a lane, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving too fast for conditions.
The GSP responded to the incident just before 7:40 a.m. Sunday at Ga. 115 east of Ed Lewis Road in White County, Georgia State Patrol Cmdr. Curtis Bradshaw said.
“It was raining at the time of the crash and the roadway was wet,” Bradshaw said.
Clark, 18, of Woodstock, was driving a Toyota Tacoma west on Ga. 115 when he approached a left-hand curve, Bradshaw said. Clark veered onto the north shoulder, over-corrected across the center line and hit a Honda Odyssey head on, Bradshaw said.
The force of the crash sent the Odyssey onto the south shoulder, into a mailbox and through a yard before landing in a ditch. Theresa McCain, 60, of Ball Ground, was driving the Odyssey, according to the GSP.
The Tacoma, which ended up going down an embankment, rotated counter-clockwise and hit the right side of the patrol car Donald Lewis was in.
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office
The patrol car spun clockwise and into an eastbound lane facing southward, according to the GSP.
All three drivers were taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. All were wearing seat belts, the GSP said.
Lewis, a certified peace officer in Georgia since 2010, has been an employee of the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office since 2016. He suffered several broken bones and cuts.
“I spoke to Deputy Lewis this morning and he is recovering at home,” Lumpkin County sheriff’s Lt. Alan Roach said Tuesday. “He will have to have follow-up medical appointments and hopefully will mend without the need for any surgical repairs.”
White County is about 90 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writer Raisa Habersham contributed to this article.
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