Van carrying probation work detail crew crashes in White County

A van carrying six probationers headed to a work detail crashed early Wednesday morning in White County. The wreck on State Route 75 Alternate near Myra Branch Road sent one of them to the hospital and left five others complaining of injuries.

The group from Colwell Probation Detention Center in Blairsville was riding in a Ford Econoline van owned by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. They were on their way to work at Unicoi State Park around 8:30 a.m. when the guard who was driving ran into a ditch.

58-year-old Anthony Cleveland Nelson of Blue Ridge told state troopers he was blinded by the sun. He steered to the right after feeling he was traveling across the centerline. The van traveled onto the south shoulder of the road and struck the ditch.

The Georgia State Patrol says 31-year-old Jairus Betts was transported to the hospital for treatment following the wreck.