Debra Buchanan was driving a Toyota Highlander that collided with this police cruiser near Burger King in Cornelia on Sunday, March 4, 2018. (Daniel Purcell/Now Habersham)
A Baldwin woman who died after a wreck with a Cornelia police officer died as a result of that accident.
That’s the official finding of the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
61-year-old Debra Buchanan passed away six days after crashing into a police cruiser driven by Cornelia Police Officer Jimmy Frady. Banks County Coroner Mark Savage says the autopsy revealed Buchanan died from a “pulmonary thromboembolism” caused by a blood clot that formed as a result of the crash.
Buchanan, who lived in Banks County, was a retired special education teacher for the Habersham County School System. Her death shocked and saddened the communities where she lived and worked. It was especially jarring when she died because it appeared both she and the officer had escaped serious injury.
The accident
On the night of Sunday, March 4, Buchanan was driving a Toyota Highlander southbound on US 441/GA 385 in Cornelia. As she approached the intersection with J. Warren Road, the police SUV Frady was driving ran in front of her. The two vehicles collided, causing the police cruiser to overturn.
Frady and Buchanan were both taken to area hospitals. Frady was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville where he was treated and released. Buchanan was transported to Habersham Medical Center with complaints of injuries to her chest and back. She was released from the hospital but later returned suffering from complications.
Buchanan passed away on March 10.
Cornelia Police Chief Chad Smith initially erroneously reported Buchanan ran the red light. He quickly corrected that after reviewing video of the crash. “Closer inspection of the dash cam video revealed there was not an arrow and the officer failed to yield,” he said.
The State Patrol issued Officer Frady a warning for failure to yield.
Trooper Trent Kirchhefer of Georgia State Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa worked the wreck. He says the investigation is ongoing.
It’s not clear at this time whether any additional charges will be filed.
