The driver of a tractor-trailer has been arrested and charged following a multi-vehicle crash that killed 54-year-old Brenda Anderson of Grovetown on September 29.
The crash which occurred on Interstate 20 to the west of Augusta also damaged seven vehicles.
The Georgia State Patrol revealed that 26-year-old Royce Kaleb Smith is now facing charges of second-degree homicide by vehicle, following too closely, and driving too fast for conditions.
The authorities said Smith was the driver of the tractor-trailer that rear-ended Anderson’s SUV near mile marker 180 between Thomson and Harlem. Anderson died at the scene.
The tractor-trailer then continued down the right shoulder of the road and struck seven more cars.
The GSP said Smith is from Salem, AL while the truck is registered to Ryno Trucking, Inc. which is based in Clearwater, FL.
It is not clear if the occupants of the other vehicles suffered any injuries.
Anderson was the third person to die along a ten-mile stretch of I-20 that day.
Just a few hours earlier, two Fulton County deputies lost their lives after they crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer that had stopped in traffic.
The slowdown from that crash is believed to have contributed to the accident that claimed Anderson’s life.
Simeon Ledbetter, one of the other drivers involved in the crash, said he came to a halt when he realized that traffic had stopped. He reported hearing a loud boom and then feeling a jolt to his dump truck.
Anderson’s car hit the back of Ledbetter’s vehicle and he was the first person to try to help her. He said he tried to see if she would respond but she couldn’t speak.
If you were injured in a crash or you lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. A Georgia truck accident lawyer can help you build a case.
Source: https://www.wrdw.com/2020/09/30/tractor-trailer-driver-in-fatal-nine-car-i-20-crash-charged/
