4 killed in separate crashes of drivers fleeing from police

Crashes that happened 14 hours apart and were separated by about 80 miles killed four people and injured two others between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

The incidents in Fayette and Bartow counties weren’t related, but they had one thing in common: Drivers tried to flee from law enforcement moments before the crashes.

Shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, Calhoun officers and Gordon County deputies attempted to stop a possibly stolen white Chevrolet Silverado on I-75.

“As the Chevrolet Silverado approached mile marker 304, the fleeing driver moved to the right and made contact with the Calhoun Police Department patrol car,” a GSP spokesperson said in a statement. “After this impact, the driver of the Chevrolet Silverado lost control, left the roadway and struck the guardrail, where the pickup truck overturned and struck a Buick SUV traveling north on Interstate 75.”

The truck’s driver was ejected during the rollover and struck by the Buick, investigators said. The driver of the truck, whose name was not released, died at the scene. The driver of the Buick was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

A second crash then occurred. “A Toyota Corolla and a Hyundai Genesis G70 were traveling north on Interstate 75, and both drivers took evasive action to avoid the initial crash,” the GSP said. That led the Toyota to travel off the road and overturn before being hit by the Hyundai. The driver of the Hyundai died at the scene, while the driver of the Toyota suffered non-life-threatening injuries, investigators said.

On Sunday afternoon, another driver trying to evade officers crashed, killing herself and a passenger, according to Fayetteville police.

Around 3:45 p.m., officers attempted to stop a Honda Accord with a tag that belonged to another vehicle and which was traveling eastbound on Ga. 54 near Callaway Road, police said.

Officers used a Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver, to stop the pursuit before it reached the McDonough Road intersection and endangered other drivers. The vehicle left the road and crashed, police said.

The driver and passenger were taken to a hospital, and both died from their injuries. Their names were not released pending notification of family members.