Multi-vehicle wreck in Mt. Airy sends three to hospital

Three vehicles wrecked at the intersection of Dicks Hill Parkway and Hazel Creek Road early on the morning of Thursday, Sept. 10. The wreck sent three people to the hospital. (photo courtesy of Red Bird Media)

A three-vehicle wreck early Thursday in Mt. Airy injured several people, sending three of them to the hospital.

The accident happened around 6:30 a.m. at the intersection of Hazel Creek Road and Dicks Hill Parkway.

The Jeep Gladiator ran off the road and into some brush after impact. (photo by Red Bird Media)

According to the Georgia State Patrol, Douglas DeFoor, 17, of Mt. Airy, was driving north on Dicks Hill Parkway in a Ford Ranger pickup truck when he failed to yield while turning left onto Hazel Creek Road. The pickup truck struck the front of a Jeep Gladiator that was traveling south on Dicks Hill Parkway. The Gladiator was driven by 59-year-old Edwina Simmons, also of Mt. Airy.

After impact, the Ford Ranger spun around and struck the front of a Nissan Altima that was behind it. That driver of the Altima is identified as 24-year-old Jerrica Burks of Baldwin. A Habersham County School bus captured the wreck on its dashcam.

Habersham EMS transported DeFoor, Simmons, and Burks to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment of their injuries. A passenger in Burks’ car, 32-year-old Travor Thomas of Cornelia, was also injured in the wreck but EMS did not transport him to the hospital. None of their injuries were life-threatening, according to Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black.

The driver and a passenger in this Nissan Altima were among the injured. (photo by Red Bird Media)

The Georgia State Trooper investigating the crash cited DeFoor for failure to yield.

The wreck temporarily shut down the intersection, causing morning school traffic to reroute.