Friday, October 4, 2002

Crash with tree claims life of Fayette woman Wednesday By JOHN MUNFORD jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com A Fayette woman who died Wednesday morning when her car veered off Ga. Highway 85 near Lisbon Road may have lost consciousness moments before the crash, according to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Lois Jean Mathena, 68, was driving north on Hwy. 85 after 8:30 a.m. when her 1993 Mitsubishi Expo crossed the southbound lane, left the road and struck a tree head-on, according to police. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Mathena, who was driving alone, had a pre-existing medical condition which apparently caused her to lose consciousness before the crash, deputies said. Mathena was wearing her seat belt at the time of the accident, according to reports. Deputies don't suspect drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash, but as usual with serious traffic crashes, the Sheriff's Department sent a blood sample to the Georgia State Crime Lab for analysis. This was the first traffic fatality in unincorporated Fayette County this year. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page