The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eye exams, glasses free to kids, teens
Three hospitalized with minor injuries, officials say. Five library branches host screenings in July, August.
A train derailed near downtown Duluth on Wednesday morning after it crashed into a big rig that got stuck on the tracks, officials said.
Duluth police and Gwinnett County fire officials were at the scene of the wreck, which happened about 9:45 a.m. in the 3600 block of Buford Highway, fire department spokesman Lt. Donald Strother said. Authorities said 20 to 23 train cars were knocked off the track.
The truck became stuck on the train tracks while trying to cross, according to Duluth police spokesman Ted Sadowski.
Chelsea Odom said she was on her morning jog when she saw the truck get caught on the track with an oversized load.
“I heard the man screaming, ‘We’ve got to go, we’ve got to move,’ and I heard the tires screeching,” Odom said. “And then all of a sudden I see a big ‘boom’ and a lot of rumbling going on. It’s like a movie.”
Odom said she began helping an officer free people from the wreckage. She said the victims had “cuts all over their head and their arms.”
“The train was actually tilting, so we had to be very careful,” Odom said. “And if we weren’t, the train was unfortunately going to fall over, but we did get everyone out safely.”
Three people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, Strother said, including two train conductors and the truck driver.
Ten cars carrying hazmat materials were attached to the train, and two were affected by the wreck, Strother said.
“(Hazmat crews) took a look to make sure that no spills had taken place,” he said. “The only thing they found that had spilled were a couple of Gatorade bottles. No hazmat materials were leaked.”
Buford Highway reopened around noon.
Kids and teenagers will be able to receive free eye exams and glasses this summer through a partnership between the Gwinnett County Library and nonprofit group Vision to Learn.
Five library branches across the county will host the screenings in July and August. The library is in a phased reopening after closing branches due to the coronavirus pandemic; branches are expected to open to visitors on Monday.
All “school-age” children — aged 4 to 18 — are eligible for the program, which will be held at different locations across the county. Registration is required before an eye exam can be given. Register at gwinnettpl.org; if you have questions, you can call 770-978-5154.
All eye exam events will last from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Here’s when and where kids can get their free exams and glasses:
■ July 6-8: Lawrenceville Branch, 1001 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville
■ July 8-10: Buford Branch, 2100 Buford Highway, Buford
■ July 20-22: Norcross Branch, 6025 Buford Highway, Norcoss
■ July 23-24: Lilburn Branch, 4817 Church St., Lilburn
■ Aug. 3-4: Centerville Branch, 3025 Bethany Church Road, Snellville
Vision to Learn is a nonprofit group that provides free eye exams and glasses to children in low-income communities across the nation. It estimates that more than 60,000 students in metro Atlanta need glasses but do not have them. It started working with Atlanta Public Schools in the 2017-18 school year and is expanding its footprint in the area.