On October 29, 2021, 29-year-old Cynthia Wade and her 5-year-old nephew, Lincoln Burgess, died in a car wreck on GA 365 in south Habersham County. Now, nearly a year later, the cousin who was driving the car has been arrested and charged in connection with their deaths.
Denise Gail Wade of Alto faces two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide. The Georgia State Patrol also charged her with failure to yield.
The charges are misdemeanors.
The state patrol took out warrants on Wade back in June of this year but GSP Post 7 Commander Donnie Sadler says they did not serve them on her immediately due to “medical issues.”
Wade, who was 26 years old at the time of the crash, was arrested and booked at the Habersham County Detention Center on Saturday, October 8. She was released the following day on a $5800 bond, jail records show.
‘It will affect him for life’
On the night of the fatal accident, Denise Wade was driving her cousins to a trunk-or-treat event when, according to state troopers, she failed to yield at the intersection of Mt. Zion Road and GA 365. The Toyota Matrix carrying the five family members pulled into the path of a southbound van. Cynthia Wade and young Lincoln died at the scene.
The wreck injured Lincoln’s mom Jessica Burgess and her 9-month-old son. Hudson Burgess was hospitalized in Atlanta for several weeks following the crash. While she is beyond grateful that he survived, Burgess says Hudson will never fully recover.
“He has permanent brain damage,” she says.
The toddler suffered a traumatic brain injury and has been undergoing speech, physical, and occupational therapy for the past year.
“The damage from a failure to yield has affected him for this year,” Burgess says. “It will affect him for life.”
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