Wednesday, March 3, 2004
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Wednesday, March 3, 2004 |
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Deputies: Teen driver got license 1 week before crash By JOHN MUNFORD A violent auto crash on Jeff Davis Drive south of Fayetteville Friday afternoon was caused by an inexperienced driver who had to abort his attempt to pass another car, police said. Aaron William Dorrough, 16, swerved off the road near Dixon Circle to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle in the northbound lane, said Lt. Col. Wayne Hannah of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department. Dorrough’s 1998 Honda Accord then struck a culvert, causing the car to flip one-and-a-half times in the air, Hannah said. Back-seat passenger Matthew Holt, 14, who has not buckled in, was thrown from the car, Hannah said. Holt was not wearing a seat belt but his injuries are not life-threatening, Hannah said. Dorrough and a passenger in the front seat, Peter Daly, 18, of Fayetteville, were uninjured; both wore seat belts, Hannah said. Dorrough had only had his driver’s license for a week before the wreck, Hannah said. Dorrough violated a Georgia law that forbids teens from driving with passengers who are not related to them for the first six months after getting a driver’s license, Hannah said. A portion of South Jeff Davis was closed to traffic for about an hour while the scene was cleared by deputies. A near-crash was avoided moments before the wreck when Dorrough passed another southbound vehicle in a no-passing lane on South Jeff Davis, Hannah said. The oncoming northbound vehicle slowed down to avoid a collision, allowing Dorrough to pass the vehicle and re-enter the southbound lane, witnesses told deputies investigating the wreck. Dorrough, of Fayetteville, is charged with reckless driving, two counts of improper passing, violation of license class restrictions and a seat belt violation.
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