15 people killed in traffic accidents during Memorial Day holiday travel period

By Jessica Waters

Fifteen people lost their lives on Georgia roads and highways over the Memorial Day Weekend, according to the latest information from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

None of the fatal accidents occurred in the Georgia State Patrol Troop B sector, which covers 21 counties in the northeast corner of the state, including Stephens, Franklin, Hart, and Habersham counties.

The 2023 Memorial Day weekend officially started at 6 p.m. Friday, May 26, and ended at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 29. The first traffic fatality of the weekend occurred before 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, in Gwinnett County – one of two holiday weekend traffic fatalities reported in Gwinnett.

Other Georgia counties reporting traffic fatalities over the 78 hours of the holiday weekend included Floyd, Tift, Laurens, Miller, Wilcox, Cherokee, Walton, Richmond, Jeff Davis, Coweeta, Paulding, and Bartow. A fatal accident was also reported in Villa Rica, which is divided between Douglas and Carroll counties.

Two drowning deaths were reported over the holiday weekend. Both occurred in Bibb County, where a 4-year-old boy drowned after falling into a swimming pool and a 22-year-old man’s body was found after a two-day search that began when he disappeared while tubing with friends at the Frank Amerson Park on the Ocmulgee River.

In 2022, over the Memorial Day Weekend, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reported four drownings and five boating deaths. The DNR has not yet released this year’s Memorial Day weekend report.

During the 2022 Memorial Day holiday, Georgia State Troopers issued more than 10,200 citations, made more than 330 DUI arrests, and investigated nearly 400 crashes that resulted in more than 240 injuries and 10 fatalities.  During the 2021 Memorial Day holiday, Georgia State Troopers issued more than 11,850 citations, made more than 350 DUI arrests, and investigated 425 crashes that resulted in 274 injuries and 11 fatalities.

As of Wednesday morning, May 31, the Georgia Department of Public Safety has not yet released a full report of the citations, arrests, crash counts and roadway fatalities for the holiday weekend.

WNEG will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they become available.