Friday, Aug. 12, 2005

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Woman dies in car crash

By LEE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@TheCitizenNews.com

One person died and three others were injured in a two-car collision that occurred on Ga. Highway 54 West and Ebenezer Road Wednesday afternoon.

June Friedrich, 80, of Peachtree City, sustained life-threatening injuries in the collision that occurred at 4:54 p.m. Rescue Air One emergency crews rushed Friedrich to Atlanta Medical Center, where she later succumbed to her injuries.

Her husband, Carl A. Friedrich, 81, the driver of a 2004 Ford Taurus, and 60-year-old Robert Reynolds of Sharpsburg and his wife, 44-year-old Michelle Reynolds, received minor injuries. The parties were taken to area hospitals where they were treated and released.

Wednesday’s tragedy marks the sixth fatal motor vehicle accident in unincorporated Fayette County in 2005 and the fifth since June 17, said Capt. Bryan Woodie, supervisor of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement Division.

According to Woodie, Carl Friedrich and his wife were traveling west on Ga. Hwy. 54. Carl Friedrich turned left on Ga. Hwy. 54 in an effort to turn onto Ebenezer Road.

Robert Reynolds, the driver of a 2001 Ford Explorer, and his wife, Michelle Reynolds, were traveling east on Ga. Hwy. 54.

“Mr. Friedrich pulled into the path of the Ford Explorer being operated by Mr. Reynolds,” Woodie said in a prepared statement. “Mr. Reynolds could not avoid striking the Ford Taurus in the passenger side door. Both vehicles were extensively damaged in the collision.”

All vehicle occupants were wearing seat belts and no alcohol or drugs were involved in the crash, Woodie said in a follow-up interview.

It remains unclear if any citations or charges will be filed against Carl Friedrich, who has been deemed the at-fault party in the collision, officials said.

Woodie said that determination has not been made. “We are continuing to investigate this crash,” he said.

Woodie is concerned about the number of traffic fatalities his department has been inundated with this summer and he wants to alert the public.

“We have had a rash of fatalities in such a short period of time,” Woodie said. “This is unsurpassed in the history of Fayette County. I have been here 20 years and we’ve never had this many in such a short period of time. This is a tremendous concern for us and we are exploring as many options as possible to try to reduce the number of crashes.”

Some of the avenues that might be explored are education and increased traffic enforcement to reduce the number of crashes.

“Nothing is more important to us than saving lives,” Woodie said.