A backseat passenger was killed and three were injured when a car carrying four Kennesaw State University students ran off Barrett Parkway around 2:30 am on Sunday, April 18. None of the victims were wearing seat belts.
Twenty-one-year-old Shaneisa Newsome of Roswell was driving the 2002 Chevrolet trailblazer eastbound on Barrett Parkway when she lost control of the vehicle between Stilesboro Road and Old U.S. 41 in Kennesaw. The vehicle ran off the roadway, hit several trees and a manhole cover, and then rolled on its left side.
Twenty-one-year-old Kimberly Johnson of Macon was killed at the scene. Two other passengers, Michelle Jackson, 21, of Waverly Hall, and Lauren Prewitt, 22, of Kennesaw were taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries. The driver was also treated at the hospital but was then transferred to the Cobb County jail. She is charged with first-degree vehicular homicide, DUI, failure to maintain lane, driving without a tag, and driving without a seat belt.
In 2008, 416 people died on Georgia roads because of drivers under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol-related fatalities account for more than one-quarter of Georgia road deaths. Each of these deaths is a wrongful death that could have been prevented if the driver obeyed the law.
Learn more about the rights of DUI victims in Georgia. Contact the Atlanta Shane Smith Law at (980) 246-2656.