By MONROE ROARK
Staff Writer

A Fayetteville man is dead after a head-on collision Monday morning on Tyrone Road between a trash truck and a van.

The driver of the wan, 28-year-old Thomas Eugene Ellison, Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the only person in the van.

According to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, a 1985 Ford LN800 garbage truck was going southbound between Ga. Highway 54 and Flat Creek Trail at approximately 7:45 a.m. when the left front tire apparently blew out.

The driver then lost control of the truck, which crossed into the northbound lane and struck a 1999 Chevrolet van. Both vehicles left the road after impact and wound up near a wooded area off the east shoulder, where the truck tipped over and rested on top of the van.

The garbage truck had to be removed before Fayette County emergency personnel could use the Jaws of Life to begin extracting the passengers, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

Roy Alvin Yeoman, 49, of Griffin was the driver of the truck. He suffered a minor leg injury and was transported to Fayette Community Hospital, where he was treated and released.

A passenger in the truck, Eric Crutchfield, 29, of Atlanta, was taken to the same hospital with minor injuries. He was also treated and released.

The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending, according to the Sheriff's Department.

As is standard procedure in fatality crashes, blood samples are being submitted to the state crime lab for analysis, but alcohol is not suspected to be a factor in the crash. Also, since a commercial vehicle was involved, the Georgia Public Service Commission inspected the garbage truck at the scene.

As a result of the accident and ensuing investigation, Tyrone Road was closed between Ga. Highway 54 and Flat Creek Trail for about 3 1/2 hours.

This is the sixth traffic fatality this year in unincorporated Fayette County.