Fatal Wreck Leads G-DOT to Make Safety Upgrades at Local Intersection

 

Crews with the Georgia Department of Transportation will be makinng some safety improvements at an intersection near the Gateway Industrial Park off Exit 177 in Hart County.

Next Monday August 12, G-DOT crews will be updating the current two-way stop at the intersection of State Route 59 and State Route 77 to a four-way stop.

Additionally, rumble strips will be installed to all lanes as motorists approach the intersection, and maintenance will be performed on the concrete island and shoulders of the road at that intersection.

“The fatal wreck at the intersection in June was one of the factors the Traffic Operations team used to determine the kinds of extra traffic control measures that could be implemented,” G-DOT spokesperson Katie Strickland told WNEG News Monday.

The wreck June 16 at the intersection involving a Jeep Liberty and a tour bus killed two people and seriously injured three others.

According to troopers with the GSP Hartwell Post, the Jeep Liberty contained four occupants, ages 54, 18, 14, and 11, and the tour bus only contained the 76-year old driver.

Troopers said the driver of the Jeep Liberty failed to stop at the stop sign and was struck by the oncoming tour bus.

The driver of the bus, identified as James Patrick of Pendleton, SC, died as a result of his injuries.

An 18-year old female passenger in the Jeep, identified as Morgan Wilson also died as a result of her injuries.

The three other passengers were all seriously injured, according to the incident report, and transported to local hospitals.