Milledgeville car crash victim dies at Grady
Summary
The 24-year-old driver hit by a truck while at a red light in Baldwin County last Thursday died of her injuries in an Atlanta hospital over the weekend. Maggie Bryson was at the intersection of North Columbia Street and Log […]
The 24-year-old driver hit by a truck while at a red light in Baldwin County last Thursday died of her injuries in an Atlanta hospital over the weekend.
Maggie Bryson was at the intersection of North Columbia Street and Log Cabin Road when a commercial box truck, driven by a sleeping driver, slammed into the back of her Toyota Yaris.
The 2020 Freightliner box truck hit the stationary 2008 Toyota Yaris at a red light. Both vehicles were in the left northbound lane on U.S. 441.
“[The Toyota] became lodged under the front end of the Freightliner and was pushed through the intersection, hit a fire hydrant and some shrubs, and then eventually came to a final rest in the Jet Food Store parking lot, which was northeast of the intersection,” said Sgt. Kevin Pope, Commander of the Georgia State Patrol post in Milledgeville.
Bryson was initially transported to Atrium Health Navicent, The Medical Center in Macon. According to her family, she was moved to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
On Friday, her mother posted this message on Facebook:
According to Facebook, Bryson had been a student at Georgia College and State University and a graduate of Georgia Military College.
“[Maggie] was not a current Georgia College student but had been enrolled in the past,” university officials said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Maggie’s family in the wake of this tragedy.”
Officers with the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD) cited the truck driver, Rashad Leshore, for following too closely and fatigued driving.
*Initially, investigators believed Leshore had been driving longer than the 14 hours allowed under Federal Law at the time of the crash, but further investigation revealed he was not over the limit. However, authorities say he would’ve been once he reached his destination in Atlanta.
Pope told Lake Country Today the force of the crash was immense. “[The rear speakers] were touching the back headrest of the front seats––that’s how bad the impact was.”
Investigators are reviewing nearby camera footage of the crash and will pull data from the truck to determine the truck’s speed at the time of the wreck. “At this time, we don’t have anything to indicate excessive speed,” Pope said.
*Note: An earlier version of this article stated that Leshore was over the federal driving limit, but further inspection of his logbooks revealed this was not the case. That paragraph has been amended to reflect the new information. The changes in this paragraph reflect the changing information provided by investigators working on this case.