Personal Injury Law

Tractor Trailer Crashes Into Barrow County Georgia Employee

By M. Brandon Smith

Gail Buchanan, a Barrow County Magistrate Court employee, suffered minor injuries in a car crash on August 6^th, when a tractor-trailer crashed into her car on Georgia Highway 211.

Roy Anthony Emrick, 57, of Loganville, the driver of the 18-wheeler, was traveling west on 211 when he saw several court employees stopped and waiting to turn left onto Barrow Park Drive to get to the courthouse.

Unable to stop in time, he swerved into the southbound lane, which was clear, to avoid hitting the waiting cars. But, in doing so, his rig collided with Buchanan's Chrysler Seabring as she was turning left onto Barrow Park Drive. The result was her vehicle crashing into the guardrail. Barrow County Fire and Emergency Services had to cut the car to remove Buchanan.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, was not injured, but was charged with following too closely, according to Gordon Wright, a spokesman for the highway patrol. No other injuries were reported.

State workers installed a sign on Route 211, earlier in the week, warning drivers of that intersection, which has been the site of seven crashes since the courthouse was opened in May 2009.

In fact, Buchanan's trucking accident is the second to occur there in the eight days since the sign was installed. On July 28, a Chevy pickup crashed into the back of a county pickup that was waiting to make a left onto Barrow Park Drive from Route 211. Neither was seriously injured.

In each of the previous car accidents that have occurred in that lane, a vehicle was stopped and waiting to turn left onto Barrow Park Drive while a another vehicle driving northbound down the hill failed to stop in time.

Barrow County officials are now asking the state Department of Transportation for emergency approval to build turn lanes into the new Barrow County Courthouse. If emergency approval is granted by DOT officials, the project should be completed within a matter of months, County Engineer Darrell Greeson told commissioners.

Full post as published by Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer on November 23, 2010 (boomark / email).