Driver charged after fatal motorcycle crash
News October 6, 2019
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga.- A motorcycle accident claimed the life of David Guy Bearden, 54, Friday, Oct. 4, shortly before 10 a.m. Bearden was traveling on State Highway 17 North near the Georgia-North Carolina state line when a vehicle exiting Woods Grove Road collided with the motorcyclist.
Bearden died upon impact.
Location where the deadly crash occurred.
According to officials, a senior female driving a Honda Civic was attempting to turn onto State Highway 17 North when the fatal collision occurred. The driver, Carol Mann, 77,, was charged with failure to yield while making a left turn and second degree involuntary manslaughter..
Georgia State Patrol investigated the deadly accident.
Archive:
BREAKING: Motorcycle fatality reported in Towns County
News October 4, 2019
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. – A motorcycle fatality occurred shortly before 10 a.m. this morning, Oct. 4, on State Highway 17 N near the Sunoco gas station at the Georgia-North Carolina state line.
Detour route
The accident was reported as a two-vehicle collision.
Georgia State Patrol is en route to investigate the fatal accident at this time.
Authorities advised that Highway 17 N is expected to be closed to traffic until at least 11 a.m.
Traffic should divert via 339 through the Industrial Park.
Follow FYN for additional details as they become available.
UPDATE: Highway 17 N re-opened to traffic at approximately 11:30 a.m..
Motorcycle accident proves fatal for Hiawassee resident
News August 14, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – A two vehicle accident claimed the life of Hiawassee resident Randy Barnes, 59, during the early morning hours of Wednesday, Aug. 14. Barnes was traveling on his motorcycle on State Route 76, Aug. 13, when an employee exiting the parking lot of Papa’s Pizza collided with the victim.
Barnes suffered extensive injuries upon impact, and was transported Tuesday afternoon via medical helicopter to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for trauma care.
Georgia State Patrol is investigating the fatal accident.
Mr. Barnes’s obituary reads:
Randy was born February 14, 1960 to Lula Bell (Arrowood) Barnes and the late Van Barnes. Randy is what most would call a “Salt of the Earth Man”. You rarely saw him without his cowboy boots, hat, cellphone and his sunglasses. He loved his family including his dog Ella; he and his wife, Lorene were happily married for 39 years, raised two children who then blessed them with grandchildren. He loved being a grandfather, was fun, and lived to entertain his grandchildren and all children really. Randy was a hardworking man who was devoted to his work and loved his coworkers at Southwire like family. He was a social butterfly, never met a stranger and made friends everywhere. In fact most mornings he would meet a few coworkers at Main Street Grill for a biscuit and if he was not going to be there he would call and let them know they didn’t need to make his biscuit that day. When he was not enjoying his normal biscuit you could find him at the hospital cafeteria complimenting the cooks on their cooking, especially their biscuits and gravy. He loved to ride his motorcycle, hunt, fish and watch sports whether it was the Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs or his grandkids playing. Randy was a happy man as long as his family was happy. He and Lorene enjoyed just sitting on their porch listening to country or gospel music until Lorene told him to put on his earphones. Randy is preceded in death by his father Van Barnes and his brother Jeff Barnes. He is survived in death by his wife Lorene Barnes; mother Lula Bell Barnes; daughter and son-in-law Nikisha and Bradley Clampitt of Hayesville, NC; son Randy Barnes; brother and sister-in-law Tim and Delores Barnes of Hiawassee; brother Danny Barnes of Hiawassee; sister and brother-in-law Lecia and Robin Bryan of Hayesville, NC, Kathie and Dave Griffin of Alpharetta, GA and Sandra and the late Lester Craig of Hiawassee; grandchildren Natalie Barnes, Briley Clampitt, Brody Clampitt, and Lily Clampitt; and a number of nieces and nephews. Also surviving are many friends that will dearly miss him.
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Restaurant owner charged in fatal Hiawassee accident
News August 20, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Jacalyn Ann Gagnon, 68, was arrested and charged with homicide by vehicle in the 2nd degree Aug, 17 after an accident claimed the life of a local motorcyclist.
Jacalyn Ann Gagnon
Gagnon, the owner and operator of Papa’s Pizza, was attempting to turn from U.S. 76 into the restaurant’s parking lot on the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 13 when the vehicle she was driving collided with a motorcycle driven by 59 year old Randy Barnes of Hiawassee.
Barnes suffered severe trauma as a result of the crash, and was airlifted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center where he died during the early morning hours of Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Gagnon was additionally charged with failure to yield while turning left. The vehicular homicide charge is listed on the arrest report as a misdemeanor offense.
Georgia State Patrol investigated the fatal accident.
Related Archive:
Hiawassee motorcyclist airlifted for trauma care following crash
News June 21, 2019HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Emergency responders were dispatched at 10:31 am, Friday, June 21, to a report of a motorcycle accident on state Route 76, in the vicinity of Hiawassee Fruit and Vegetable Market.
A male victim in the single vehicle crash suffered chest trauma, and was airlifted to Gainesville for medical treatment. A female passenger was transported by ambulance to Union General Hospital.
The cause of the accident is undetermined at this time.
While the motorcyclists were properly helmeted in accordance with Georgia law, 42 percent of motorcyclists who were fatally injured in 2010 were unhelmeted. According to the Center for Disease Control, helmets saved over 1,500 riders’ lives, although roughly 700 additional lives could have been saved if all riders had worn helmets. On average, states with a universal helmet law, like Georgia, save eight times more riders’ lives per 100,000 motorcycle registrations each year, compared to states without a helmet law, and save three times more riders’ lives per 100,000 motorcycle registrations each year, compared to states with a partial helmet law.
Weekend motorcycle accident results in trauma care
News September 16, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Several motorcycle accidents have occurred in Towns County in recent months, with a crash occurring Saturday afternoon on State Route 76. A 46 year old male suffered serious injuries following a single vehicle collision Sept. 17, east of Hiawassee. The motorcyclist was airlifted by medical helicopter to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, GA for trauma care.
While the weekend accident did not involve a second vehicle, other crashes have been the result of multi-vehicle collisions this season. On June 27, a motorcyclist on State Highway 75 South attempted to pass a turning vehicle when an accident ensued, resulting in severe trauma to the biker. A local motorcyclist suffered fatal injuries following a two-vehicle collision Aug. 13 on U.S. Route 76, west of Hiawassee.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 80 percent of all motorcycle accidents result in injury or death to the motorcyclist. “The motorcycle itself provides no head injury protection to the rider or passenger,” NHTSA explains. “Ejection from the motorcycle is a common injury pathway. If a motorcycle comes to a sudden stop and the rider is ejected from the motorcycle, the rider will forcibly strike objects in the path as well as the ground.”
A total of 264 motorcyclists lost their lives on Georgia roadways in 2018 due to traffic accidents.
Motorcyclist severely injured in Hiawassee crash
News August 13, 2019
HIAWASSEE, Ga.- A motorcyclist suffered severe injuries following a collision in front of Papa’s Pizza on State Route 76, west of Hiawassee, as an employee was leaving the restaurant’s parking lot. Towns County first responders were dispatched to the site of the accident at 3:15 pm, Tuesday, Aug. 13.
The two vehicle accident caused life-threatening injuries to the motorcyclist, including extensive trauma to the lower extremities. The victim, a male in his mid-to-late 50s, was flown to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, GA, for emergency surgery. Traffic on State Route 76 was temporarily stalled in order to create a landing zone for the medical helicopter.
FYN reported on the danger surrounding the area where the accident occurred in April 2018. Towns County Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw contacted the Department of Transportation, insisting on a center-turning lane on State Route 76, to no avail due to logistics. Bradshaw told FYN in recent days that he plans to again address the issue in the near future while visiting the state capitol.
“We want a center-turning lane. It’s very dangerous leaving Hiawassee, going in that direction,” Bradshaw told FYN last spring. “If you want to take a left-hand turn to get into Papa’s Pizza, or several other places, you’re constantly looking in your rear-view mirror, afraid you’re going to get hit. It’s very dangerous…I said you’re going to have to stay on top of this. The community is demanding this. I will not let it die. I’m going to stay on top of it.”
Biker airlifted for trauma care after collision
News June 27, 2019HIAWASSEE, Ga. – A second motorcyclist in less than a week was airlifted for medical treatment, suffering multiple trauma injuries, after crashing on State Route 75, south of Hiawassee, Thursday, June 27. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene shortly before 7 p.m.
The victim was described as an older male, traveling northbound toward Hiawassee when the accident occurred. The motorcyclist appeared to have been attempting to pass a vehicle, also traveling northbound, which was nearing a turn from the highway onto Soapstone Creek Road when the crash ensued. The driver of the vehicle did not suffer major injuries as a result of the collision.
A motorcycle accident occurred last Friday, June 21, on State Route 76, near Hiawassee Vegetable and Fruit Market. The male driver, who suffered chest trauma, was airlifted for emergency treatment due to the extent of his injuries. A female passenger was transported by ambulance to Union General Hospital for medical care. No other vehicles were involved in Friday’s crash.