Paramedics airlifted a Northeast Georgia woman to the hospital after a tractor-trailer crashed into the farm tractor she was driving. The impact of the crash split the farm tractor in two.
The Thursday afternoon crash on GA 77 seriously injured 66-year-old Elizabeth Peters of Dewey Rose.
The preliminary crash investigation revealed the Kenworth T680 tractor-trailer was northbound behind the John Deere 4520 Peters was driving. As Peters attempted to turn left into a private drive at 2803 Hartwell Highway, the semi attempted to pass her on a double-yellow line, state troopers say.
The front of the Kenworth struck the left side of the John Deere in the southbound inside lane of GA 77. After impact, the Kenworth came to a controlled final rest, facing northbound in the southbound lane. The force of the crash caused the John Deere to split into two separate units, and both came to an uncontrolled rest off the west shoulder of the highway.
The driver of the Kenworth, 60-year-old Michael Lee Firebaugh, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was not injured. Peters was Life Flighted to Greenville Memorial Hospital.
The Georgia State Patrol’s Troop B Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is assisting Post 52 with its investigation. Charges are pending.
