Authorities have charged a commercial truck driver with DUI and two counts of vehicular homicide in the deaths of a grandfather and grandson.
47-year-old Michael Speed of Clarkesville was arrested at the scene of the wreck Tuesday on Highway 115 near Fairview School Road.
The wreck killed 82-year-old Bobby Lee Washington York and his 37-year-old grandson, Jason York, both of Demorest.
State troopers who investigated the crash say Bobby York was behind the wheel of a Ford Fusion stopped in the southbound lane due to construction. Speed was driving a Sterling Acterra Lt950 with a roll off dumpster. According to state troopers, Speed was following too closely and rear-ended York’s vehicle, setting off a chain-reaction wreck.
After being hit, York’s car struck a Chevy Silverado pickup driven by Roger Haynes, 68, of Cleveland. Haynes’ vehicle then struck a Nissan Murano driven by Rebecca Thomason, 41, of Demorest.
Jesse Stewart, 24, of Demorest, was driving a Jeep Cherokee. Troopers say he was attempting to avoid the crash when the dumpster truck rear-ended his vehicle.
According to Habersham County Coroner Kasey McEntire, Bobby York was pronounced dead at the scene. Habersham County EMS transported Jason York to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, where he was pronounced dead. An ambulance also rushed Thomason to the hospital in stable condition.
The wreck happened around 2 p.m. on May 2 and shut down Highway 115 near the crash site for several hours.
Troopers from Georgia State Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa investigated the crash with assistance from GSP’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT).
While emergency crews were still on the scene, additional units were dispatched to another rear-end wreck on GA 365 in Alto that seriously injured a Hall County girl.
A statement released on behalf of the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Services, and Coroner’s Office late Tuesday night says officials are “saddened” by the tragedy.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those involved and affected, and especially those who lost loved ones today,” says Habersham County spokesperson Rob Moore.
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