A 21-year-old man faces multiple charges, including vehicular homicide, after being accused of driving the wrong way on Ga. 400 early Tuesday morning and violently crashing into another vehicle, killing both people inside.
The head-on collision was particularly forceful, essentially disintegrating one vehicle and spreading crash debris across all four lanes of the busy highway at the Holcomb Bridge Road exit. It brought traffic to a halt for several hours, an all-too-common occurrence for commuters through Atlanta’s northern suburbs.
It was not clear what factors contributed to the wreck, but impaired drivers and those having medical episodes are among the primary causes of wrong-way collisions on Ga. 400, authorities say. This stretch of highway has seen its share of wrong-way crashes in recent years, including a deadly one in February 2022.
Tuesday’s incident was an especially gruesome scene, the breadth of which was only fully grasped once the sun rose.
Roswell police said Dahmir Rivera was driving a silver Cadillac ATS south in the northbound lanes shortly after 3 a.m. Tuesday when he crashed into a gray Nissan Sentra in the far right lane. Authorities shut down the highway between Northridge and Holcomb Bridge roads to attend to the victims and investigate the crash scene.
The Nissan was so crumpled it was barely distinguishable from a hunk of metal, tires and airbags. Its two occupants, 27-year-old Keara Williams and 55-year-old Benyounes Mezouar, died at the scene. The Cadillac was also badly damaged, but the cab remained intact.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
Rivera was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and later released, according to police. He was then booked into the Fulton County Jail on two counts of homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence, reckless driving and wrong-way driving.
The investigation remains open, and additional criminal charges may be forthcoming, police said.
Reckless driving has become a worsening problem across the country since the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s a persistent issue on Ga. 400, according to one of the agencies working to combat the dilemma.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, whose jurisdiction begins a few miles north of Roswell’s, said that traffic stops for speeding are their agency’s primary contact with citizens. Ga. 400 is only getting faster and faster, said Lt. Scotty Spriggs, a member of the traffic unit.
“Our efforts with enforcement activities on Ga. 400 are that of a Groundhog Day,” Spriggs said. “Regardless of our efforts, we continually see the behaviors of the motoring public not change.”
In Spriggs’ experience, wrong-way crashes on Ga. 400, while not frequent, seem to be a combination of impaired drivers and those suffering from a medical condition. Most recently, two drivers were killed Feb. 6, 2022, when one of them, 24-year-old Zoe Robinson, got onto the wrong side of the highway at Abernathy Road in Sandy Springs. The other driver killed was 32-year-old Damis Lider.
It is especially frightening to realize headlights are coming straight toward you and, as Spriggs said, sometimes “our minds play tricks on us, and when that happens we see things but are in a state of disbelief — that it’s not happening.”
But there are steps that can be taken to avoid a collision, he said, if drivers can act fast. First, slow your speed and move to the shoulder as quickly and safely as possible.
“Being vigilant in paying attention to what’s up ahead of you and noticing these things will greatly increase your chance of survival,” Spriggs said.
But even before getting caught in the headlights of a wrong-way driver, there are steps drivers can take to avoid collisions, according to WSB traffic reporter Doug Turnbull.
Staying in the center lanes when driving late at night is a good idea, he said, especially when a highway is mostly empty. That’s because the far-left lane is the most likely place for a wrong-way crash, as research shows that intoxicated drivers often think it’s the slow lane.
The most common time for a wrong-way collision? Between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., right around when most bars are closing.
The bottom line, both Spriggs and Turnbull said, is that drivers should always operate defensively by putting their undivided attention on the road, staying sober and fully awake. In the event that you end up accidentally going the wrong way, you should immediately pull over to the shoulder and call police.
Anyone with information about Tuesday’s crash is asked to contact Roswell police at 770-640-4100. Anonymous information can be provided through Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-TIPS(8477) or online at www.StopCrimeATL.org.
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