GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A Social Circle man was killed Friday morning in a two-vehicle crash on Cornelia Highway at Lula Road, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
The collision occurred shortly before 9:48 a.m. Feb. 13 at the intersection of Cornelia Highway (Ga. 365) and Lula Road (Ga. 52), Hall County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer BJ Williams said.
Patrol deputies and investigators with the agency’s Accident Investigation Unit responded to the scene after receiving reports of the crash.
According to the on-scene investigation, a 1997 Ford Conventional flatbed truck was traveling south on Cornelia Highway and had stopped at a traffic light at the Lula Road intersection. A 2021 Nissan NV traveling south behind the truck failed to stop and struck the truck in the rear, Williams said.
The driver of the van, identified as Rafael Warner, 43, of Social Circle, died at the scene. His body was transported to the DeKalb Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
The driver of the truck, Ralph Hilliard Jr., 66, of Gainesville, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment.
Cornelia Highway was closed for approximately 1½ hours while investigators processed the scene.
The investigation remains ongoing, Williams said.
