A Cherokee County man was among five people killed in separate Georgia crashes during the two-day New Year’s holiday, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

With Jan. 1 falling on a Wednesday, the holiday travel period began Monday at 6 p.m. and ended at 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Day for a total of 54 hours. Last year, the holiday period determined by the DPS was 102 hours because New Year’s Day landed on a Monday. Nine people died during the 2023-2024 period.

A 62-year-old man died after a tree landed on his vehicle Tuesday afternoon, the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies were called at 2:30 p.m. to Union Hill Road near Windflower Court, where the crash happened. The driver, Phillip Ziegler of Canton, was taken to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, where he died from his injuries, investigators said.

According to the DPS, a deadly crash happened in DeKalb County, and troopers from posts in Albany, Statesboro and Thomasville also investigated fatal crashes.

In southeast Georgia, a Bulloch County man was killed in a dirt bike crash on his property, according to Grice Connect, a news website that covers the area. Chris Thompson, 48, died from his injuries, the report states.

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