A preliminary crash report from the Georgia State Patrol on the deadly I-16 accident that claimed the lives of five GSU nursing students indicates a deadly chain reaction was apparently started by one driver who was “following too closely.
The Highway Patrol is careful to say this report about the crash nearly 2 weeks ago is subject to change and that the accident investigation team continues its evaluation.
The preliminary report says around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22 a semi truck driver was “following too closely” and hit the SUV driven by Abbie Deloach. Deloach and a passenger in her SUV, Morgan Bass, died in the deadly accident.
The report says after being hit that Deloach’s vehicle struck one in front driven by another nursing student, Emily Clark.
Clark’s car struck a tanker truck in front of her and then that truck struck a vehicle in front of it and so on. Clark and two passengers in her vehicle, Catilyn Bagget and Catherine “McKay” Pittman, all died at the scene of the accident.
The report says in all, seven vehicles were involved in the horrific crash and that six drivers (including Deloach and Clark) were all stopped in traffic, because of a backup that had been caused by an accident hours earlier.
One witness told WSA-TV that it was still dark — about 5:45 a.m. — and that he saw people braking ahead and was able to stop in time. He had stopped in the outside lane and said he heard a loud bang in back of him which was apparently the start of the chain reaction accident.
The report says the semi truck was driven by John Johnson of Shreveport, Louisiana and the company for which he works is Total Transportation of Mississippi.
Deloach’s mother is taking her daughter’s case, and the circumstances that led to her death, to court.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Kim Deloach McQuaig says “negligence” led to her daughter’s death.
Total Transportation of Mississippi is among seven defendants named in a wrongful death lawsuit .
According to the suit, the driver of a tractor trailer “suddenly and without warning” ran into the car in which Abbie was riding.
The suit goes to to say the driver for “Total Transportation” was “following too close”, and he “acted recklessly, carelessly” and with “total disregard of the rights and safety of other persons using the highway.”
He had the “last clear chance” to avoid the collision.
Total Transportation of Mississippi, the company that runs the tractor trailer service, tells News 3 they are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation, but would not comment on the lawsuit.
The Georgia State Patrol is still investigating, but has not filed any charges yet.
