Crime & Safety

Holiday Weekend Traffic Accidents Claim 19 Lives, One Drowning at Lake Lanier

Georgia State Patrol investigated more than 300 crashes, one fatal in nearby Dawson County and at least one drowning at Lake Lanier.

Nineteen people died in traffic-related accidents across the state over the 4th of July holiday weekend.

The Georgia State Patrol investigated 313 accidents from 6 p.m. on Friday, July 1 through midnight on July 4, 230 of them were injuries and 14 deaths. The other five fatalities were reported by other law enforcement agencies.

Last year, the Georgia Department of Transportation's Crash Reporting Unit counted 1,829 traffic crashes, 834 injuries and 11 traffic deaths.

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According to Robin Stone with GSP Post 37 in Cumming, one of the fatalities occurred on Highway 53 and Young Place in Dawson County at about 10:35 p.m., Saturday, July 2.

GSP spokesperson, Lt. Paul Coster said, Michael Martinez, 27, of Dawsonville was killed in the head-on collision and that the accident is under investigation.

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On Sunday, July 3, a 23-year-old Gainesville man drowned at Van Pugh Park located on the southeast end of Lake Lanier in Flowery Branch.

"He was in the water with his father and friends when he went under sometime after 4 p.m.," said Rick Lavender, spokesperson with the GA Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "They pulled him out--he was later pronounced dead at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville."

His name has not been released by authorities.

There were also several boating-related incidents, including five BUI's, eight boating accidents, seven injuries from those accidents and one involving alcohol, said Lavender.

One of the boating accidents involved two personal watercrafts (PWC) near Baldridge Marina in Cumming.

The collision between the two PWCs seriously injured one adult woman, said Capt. Jason Shivers with the Forsyth County Fire Department.

"She was transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries to her lower extremities, but she was stable," Shivers said.

Capt. Tim House with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies issued 82 speeding tickets, 34 tickets for failing to wear a seat belt, three tickets for failure of proper child restraints, and made four arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol.

"The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office had several specialized units out this weekend to ensure that the everyone was safe and enjoyed the weekend," House stated in an e-mail to Cumming Patch.


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