Rash of Recent Fatal Wrecks Has Local Law Enforcement Concerned

Local law enforcement officials are warning motorists, especially young people, to take extra care when behind the wheel.

Since Thanksgiving, Hart County has seen nine deaths related to traffic accidents, according to Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland.

He said in most of those cases, the drivers have been in their 20’s and many of the victims have been young children.

“If you count the accident in August in which the driver eventually died three weeks ago, and you count the unborn child that died in the wreck earlier this month, there was a total of nine fatalities since late November,” Cleveland said. “We’ve also had some other very serious accidents as well.”

On Friday, Hart County deputies and the Georgia State Patrol responded to four more wrecks; one in which a woman’s vehicle hit a tree, severely injuring a child who was a passenger.

“We actually have a small child that is in intensive care now and was broken up pretty bad from that accident,” he said. “We believe that wreck was weather related. We also had an accident on U.S. 29 South/Royston Highway, as well as two more accidents in which people were injured and folks are really having a tough time getting over them.”

In Franklin County, two teenagers died last week when the vehicle they were passengers in went off the road, down an embankment and struck a tree.

Georgia State Patrol Hartwell Post Commander Sgt. Al Whitworth echoed Sheriff Cleveland’s concern over the number of wrecks in the past few months.

“I’ve been speaking with Sheriff Cleveland about the fact that there’s been more fatal accidents in Hart County in the last three months than we normally see for the entire year,” Whitworth said. “Again, I echo what the Sheriff is saying to just use caution.”

Whitworth said the causes of the numerous wrecks have run the gamut from impaired drivers, to use of cell phones to driver error.

Cleveland said his department is joining with the GSP to step up patrols in an effort to reduce the number of wrecks.

“We will be doing road checks, radar, we’re looking for DUI’s, speeders, anything that causes accidents,” Cleveland said. “We’re going to try and slow this down.”

Cleveland and Whitworth both advise motorists to limit cell phone use when on the road and avoid those things that easily distract you.

“When you get in that car, it’s a moving projectile,” Cleveland said. “If you’re doing 55mph and the other car is doing 55mph, that’s 110mph when you hit.  You are precious cargo and your passengers are precious cargo. So, let’s all wake up and pay attention and concentrate on our driving.”