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Three hurt in Hwy. 74 wreck

By LEE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@TheCitizenNews.com

Portions of Ga. Highway 74 South and Crosstown Drive were transformed into a parking lot for four hours Tuesday afternoon as Peachtree City emergency crews worked to clear a horrific five-vehicle accident that sent three people to the hospital.

Two people were seriously hurt. However, no deaths were reported, according to friends of the injured and hospital officials where the injured parties were taken for treatment.

Peachtree City police and fire crews and Fayette County firefighters responded at 5:06 p.m. to investigate the collision that left a utility vehicle on top of a smaller car, trapping both drivers inside.

According to police, Eric Hannah of Newnan, driving a landscaping truck filled with large logs and towing a trailer carrying a Bobcat, was traveling south on Hwy. 74 approaching Crosstown Drive.

Hannah ran the red light and struck a vehicle driven by Tiffany Buysing of Peachtree City, police said. Buysing was traveling east on TDK Boulevard and had entered the intersection, after receiving the green light, when Hannah struck her, police said.

Hannah’s truck then collided into a vehicle driven by Tabitha Kendall of Newnan, who was stopped at the red light on Hwy. 74 facing north.

Hannah’s vehicle then started to overturn and collided into a vehicle driven by Rose Webb of Peachtree City. Webb also was stopped on Hwy. 74 facing north in the right turn lane. Webb’s vehicle also was overturned by the collision with Hannah’s truck.

“Mr. Hannah’s vehicle came to rest on top of Ms. Webb’s vehicle causing both of these drivers to be entrapped,” Peachtree City police said in a prepared statement.

Logs from Hannah’s truck spilled from his vehicle and into another vehicle driven by Susan Snow of Peachtree City.

Snow was not injured, but her 2004 GMC Yukon sustained front end damage from the logs that tumbled out of the truck and headed in her direction.

“I was horrified,” Snow said. “I was like a sitting duck. I wasn’t able to do anything.”

Snow, a 53-year-old technical support worker at Hoshizaki, witnessed the collision that injured her coworker.

Emergency crews worked feverishly to free Webb and Hannah from their vehicles.

Webb was transported by helicopter to Grady Memorial Hospital, according to police. Hannah was transported by helicopter to Atlanta Medical Center. Both have been released.

Friends said Webb was back at home Thursday recovering from the accident. Webb is sore, but suffered no broken bones, coworker, Laucille Brucker said. Judging by the wreckage, some say it’s a miracle everyone involved survived.

Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia Department of Motor Vehicle Safety are assisting in the investigation. Charges are pending.

There is no official word as to what caused the accident. However, some speculate the brakes on Hannah’s truck failed prior to the accident, Snow said.

“We heard he radioed to a coworker behind him and told him they weren’t working,” Snow said. “But this is all just hearsay.”

Brucker, a sales employee at Hoshizaki who provided an update on Webb’s condition, also witnessed the accident.

“It missed me by a little bit,” said Brucker, a 62-year-old Peachtree City resident. “I was spared, but I am still in shock because of it.”

Brucker indicated traffic congestion in Peachtree City especially in this area has become a problem. She believes it is a factor in many traffic accidents.

“I really think the city needs to address the streets,” Brucker said. “The traffic has increased so much, but we don’t have the roads to accommodate it all. This is supposed to be a planned community. They should have planned for this a long time ago.”