A Dahlonega man is charged with DUI and vehicular homicide following a weekend accident in Stephens County that left one man dead.
20-year-old Anwar S. Rathorne was driving a 1992 Mercedes Benz 300D south on GA 17 when he attempted to turn left onto GA 184 at the intersection. A report from the Georgia State Patrol says Rathorne “failed to yield” and pulled into the path of a northbound 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup.
The driver of the truck, 67-year-old Ruth Rhodes of Crawfordville, told investigating officers she was unable to avoid impact. The pickup struck the right front side of the Mercedes. Both vehicles were heavily damaged.
A passenger in Rathorne’s car was killed. He’s identified as 28-year-old John Michael Vega of Lakemont.
Rhodes was taken by ambulance to Stephens County Hospital with unspecified injuries, according to the State Patrol.
Rathorne was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. He’s charged with 1st degree vehicular homicide, DUI, failure to yield, and failure to meet certain license and tire requirements.
A separate investigation of the crash is being conducted by the Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) and the Stephens County Coroner’s Office.
