DEMOREST, Ga. — Authorities have identified the man killed Friday morning when his car struck the rear of a commercial truck on GA 365.
The Georgia State Patrol said James Johnson of Lavonia was driving a Honda Accord north in the right lane when he failed to stop for an Isuzu FTR box truck that was stopped at a red light at Demorest-Mt. Airy Highway.
The Accord struck the rear of the truck and traveled underneath it.
Johnson died at the scene. The truck driver was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. The driver’s condition was not released.
Wreck shuts down highway
The crash occurred around 6:45 a.m. at the start of the morning commute on the first day of holiday travel for the Labor Day weekend. Initial emergency dispatch reports described it as a three-vehicle wreck involving two cars and a box truck, but the State Patrol’s preliminary investigation lists only two vehicles.
Emergency crews remained on the scene for more than two hours investigating the crash and clearing the wreckage. The highway reopened shortly before 9 a.m.
Before Johnson’s identity was released, Habersham County Coroner Kasey McEntire told Now Georgia the victim was from outside Habersham County and that his name was being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
“This is a sad day,” McEntire said from the scene. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
The crash disrupted school traffic. Habersham County Schools Superintendent Patrick Franklin said administrators made allowances for students who were late because of the wreck.
“Buses for many of our schools were rerouted around this accident. Our principals and staff are prepared for later-than-normal bus and car riders,” Franklin told Now Georgia, adding, “Our thoughts and prayers are with those involved in this accident.”
The Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash.
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