Crashes have claimed at least 14 lives in the state so far during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
In one crash, five people were killed in Thomasville on Thanksgiving day. Later the same day, two others were killed in Dublin. Single fatalities were also reported in Henry County, Newnan, Griffin, Perry, Columbus, Brunswick and Sylvania.
And that number could still climb, as the holiday travel period that began at 6 p.m. Wednesday runs until 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
In the Thomasville crash, a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck was traveling east on Ga. 111 near Bay Rockyford Road when it hit a white Ford van head-on, according to the GSP. The van was carrying nine people, five of whom were killed upon impact. The remaining four were flown to a hospital in Tallahassee, Florida, along with the driver of the truck.
The victims’ names and conditions were not released, and it’s not clear if any charges are expected. The State Patrol did not immediately return a request for additional information.
In Dublin, another head-on collision killed both drivers. A Nissan Altima was traveling east in the westbound lanes of I-16 near mile marker 58 when it hit a Honda Pilot. The drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims in that case also have not been publicly identified.
With an estimated 2.2 million Georgians expected to travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving, this year is projected to have the second-highest number of travelers since 2005, according to the AAA auto club. Roughly 1.5 million of those travelers will be on the roads.
Over the entire Thanksgiving travel period last year, at least 18 people were killed.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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