On Saturday, September 24th, a woman tragically died after being hit by a tractor trailer at a Georgia truck stop.
The Fox Carolina News reports this tractor trailer crash occurred around 11:20 p.m. at Dad’s Restaurant at 5061 Whitworth Road. The truck hit and killed Maehalalea Beth Baxter, 43 years old. Investigators are looking for this truck driver. The truck is a blue Kenworth truck with a sleeper saying “Good Something North Carolina” on the side of the trailer. This semi truck was pulling a silver, refrigerated trailer. It was last seen driving northbound on Interstate 85 toward South Carolina. The driver was a white man in his early to mid-30’s with dark, short colored hair.
If you have seen this man or tractor trailer, please call 706-376-3114. Our thoughts are with the Baxter family and her friends.
Tractor trailer accidents are very serious and as above, can result in death. In 2006, commercial trucks accounted for about 3.5% of vehicles on the road in the United States, but they were involved in approximately 6% of motor vehicle accidents, and nearly 12% of vehicle accident fatalities. In 2006, one out of six fatalities in Georgia occurred in a crash involving a large truck.
The driver who hit and killed Baxter also left the scene of an accident. A hit and run accident is considered a serious crime in the state of Georgia, and one that comes with stiff legal consequences. Georgia law clearly stipulates that it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident before driver information is exchanged, injuries are attended to, and/or police or emergency professionals arrive on the scene. Drivers who fail to do so are committing a “hit and run”- which, depending on the circumstances, can be classified as a felony or a misdemeanor. Drivers who commit a hit and run are subject to large penalties and possible substantial prison time, depending in part on the severity of the crash and injuries sustained.
