Two people were killed in a northeast Forsyth County crash due to a wrong-way driver. This head-on collision occurred on Highway 53 at Porter Lane, near Keith Bridge Road. Authorities indicated that this wreck happened just before 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 12, 2013.
Robin Stone of the Georgia State Patrol, Post 37, said, “What it looks like is that one of the cars actually crossed over the line and hit the other car head-on.” Police are not sure what caused the driver to cross over the line, but they stated they don’t suspect alcohol or drug use was a factor in this accident.
The two people killed were the drivers of the two vehicles involved. Shane Michael Thurmond, 42, of Dawsonville was traveling east on Highway 53 in his white 1994 BMW when he drifted into the westbound lane and collided head-on with a red 1991 Honda Civic driven by a 29-year-old Valerie Jean Martin of Cumming.
Both drivers were killed on impact and were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Neither driver was traveling with a passenger. The Georgia State Patrol confirmed that both drivers were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.
We at Shane Smith Law are saddened to hear of this double fatality accident in Forsyth County and would like to extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families and friends who have lost their loved ones in this collision.
Unfortunately, this has been the second fatal accident in Forsyth County in less than a week. The first took place on Georgia Highway 9 and North Old Atlanta Road on March 7, 2013.