The Georgia Department of Public Safety says 18 people died in traffic-related accidents in Georgia since the July 4th holiday weekend began. Several of those fatalities occurred in Northeast Georgia.
The Department reports patrol posts in the following areas reported fatalities: Hartwell, Madison, Forest Park (2), Newnan, Lafayette (2), Valdosta, Athens, Forsyth, Milledgeville, and Waycross.
Local law enforcement reported fatalities in Henry, Columbia, Dekalb, and Floyd counties, as well as Albany and Columbus.
Northeast Georgia fatalities
The first fatality occurred in Northeast Georgia within hours of the start of the long holiday weekend travel period.
State troopers say 23-year-old Keegan Polnaszek of Elbert County was a passenger in a Ford Ranger that wrecked on July 3 on Nickville Road. The truck, driven by 22-year-old Aidan Polnaszek, also of Elbert County, left the roadway, overturned several times, and struck a tree.
The coroner pronounced Keegan Polnaszek dead at the scene. An ambulance transported the driver to Piedmont Athens Regional with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is assisting troopers from Post 52 in Hartwell with their investigation. At last report, they were still investigating the accident and had not filed any charges.
Elsewhere, a motorcyclist was killed on July 6 near Athens when a Ford Super Duty pickup truck backed out in front of him, the State Patrol says. The motorcycle struck the passenger side of the truck. Steven Hickman of Colbert died at the scene.
The holiday travel reporting period ran from 6 p.m. on July 3 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 7.
