Linda Mather of Clarkesville was working on September 29, traveling to visit a student at Foundations Academy in Cornelia, when her day came to a screeching halt. She says she was stopped on Cannon Bridge Road signaling and waiting to turn left onto Old Athens Highway when she looked into her rear-view mirror and realized, “He’s not stopping. He’s going to hit me.”
Then, he did. The “he” was Georgia State Trooper T. Sanders, an officer stationed at the Georgia State Patrol Post in Toccoa. Sanders’ patrol car rear-ended Mather’s Honda Element, totaling her car and sending the PREP teacher from Clarkesville Elementary School to the hospital.
“It happened so fast,” Mather says. “I was shocked. These people that were supposed to protect me, hit me.” The shock is still evident in her voice nearly one week later. Mather was taken to Habersham Medical Center immediately following the wreck where she says they ran CT scans of her head and lower back. Although she escaped any evident serious injuries Mather says she remains “very sore” and says her vision and thought processes have been affected. “I’m not always thinking clearly. Some days I wake up and I’m just not myself.”
Mather is quick to point out that Trooper Sanders appeared remorseful. “The trooper was very apologetic and very sorry. He came up to my car (after the accident) and you could tell he felt really bad about it.” Since the accident Mather has visited several doctors and a chiropractor and has been dealing with insurance issues. She says she received her first call from the Georgia Department of Public Safety about the wreck on Friday, October 3. She says she has no plans to sue at this time. “I’m going to try and be positive about this and hope they (Public Safety) step up to the plate and do what they should do.”
A preliminary report by officers on the scene indicates Trooper Sanders was ‘following too close.’ Sgt. David Lunsford, a supervisor at the Troop 7 GSP Post in Toccoa, says a review board is now looking into the accident. “It’s being handled administratively,” Lunsford says. “The board will make a recommendation about what to do and send its recommendation to the commanding officer for a final say so.” Lunsford says the post commander will then decide whether to follow the board’s recommendations or take other action. Lunsford says it could be several weeks before a final determination is made.
