It’s been a messy day on GA 365 in Baldwin where emergency crews responded to two wrecks at the same intersection on Friday.
Just hours after a van rear-ended a Habersham County School bus at the Duncan Bridge Road intersection, Habersham E-911 dispatched emergency crews there again in response to an overturned camper.
According to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, a dump truck driver was traveling south on GA 365 when he ran the red light. The driver, identified as 46-year-old Charles Grindle of Demorest, told officers he didn’t notice the light changing.
“Based on his speed and weight of the vehicle – and what he believes is break failure – [Grindle] continued to travel into the intersection,” says Habersham County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Kevin Angell.
The Mack truck ran into the path of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck turning west onto Duncan Bridge Road. The driver of the pickup, 38-year-old Brandon McDougal of Cleveland, tried to avoid impact, but the dump truck struck the camper he was hauling. The impact of the crash overturned the camper in the middle of the intersection.
No one was injured. Traffic was temporarily slowed near the crash site as crews worked to clear the wreckage.
First responders from the City of Baldwin Fire Department, Baldwin Police Department, Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia State Patrol responded to the scene. There was “no distracted driving or impairment,” says Angell. “The sheriff’s office is seeing an increasing volume of calls including these two accidents that occurred today within the city of Baldwin that we’re responding to and handling.”
A Habersham deputy issued Grindle three citations for driving too fast for conditions, violating the red light, and braking requirements.
The Georgia State Patrol investigated the early-morning wreck involving the school bus. Troopers cited the at-fault driver in that crash for following too closely.
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