A Fayetteville man survived a three-car pileup that sent his SUV careening off Ga. Highway 314 and into the fence surrounding a playground at a Fayetteville day care center.

Frederick Ray Spencer, 52, of Ponderosa Drive, was rear-ended in the collision just north of Creekwood Trail, sending his 1986 Chevy Blazer down an embankment toward the Kids-R-Kids playground. Fortunately because of the rain earlier in the day no children were outside at the time of the crash.

The driver of the 2002 Ford F250 truck that rear-ended Spencer was identified by police as Fernando Gallo of Oak Road, Fayetteville. Gallo was charged with following too close.

The initial collision forced Spencer’s vehicle to strike a third car that was ahead of him, a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis driven by Mary Stephens of Fayetteville. Stephens was taken to the hospital for reports of neck pain.

Spencer, who was treated at Atlanta Medical Center, said Monday that he was very thankful for the assistance of a good Samaritan who helped pull him from the wreckage because of the danger from gas that was leaking from the vehicle. The Samaritan happened to be a parent whose child goes to Kids-R-Kids, Spencer noted.

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