Authorities charged a Gainesville man with drunk driving following a head-on collision north of Helen.
59-year-old Ricky Carroll, Jr. was seriously injured in the wreck on State Route 17 around 3 p.m. Friday afternoon, September 3.
Corporal Bronson Taylor with Georgia State Patrol Post 6 in Gainesville investigated the crash. He says Carroll was northbound in a 2014 Dodge Charger when he crossed the centerline rounding a curve. The Charger struck a southbound 2019 Ford Superduty pickup truck driven by Mark Martin, 59, of Cleveland.
The wreck seriously injured Carroll. It also injured his passenger, 61-year-old Donnie Lamar Carroll who, Taylor says, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The 59-year-old Martin and his passenger, 47-year-old Tonia Martin of Cleveland also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Medics transported all four injured people to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment.
“Mr. Ricky Carroll was operating the Dodge Charger while under the influence of alcohol,” says Cpl. Taylor. He charged Carroll with DUI and failure to maintain lane.
Due to his injuries, Carroll was admitted to the hospital. Taylor says arrest warrants will be sought from the White County Magistrate Judge at a later date.
