An accused drunk driver was responsible for an accident on Highway 5 that resulted in five people being hospitalized Friday night.
The suspect is a man in his early thirties from the town of Turtletown. He has been charged with DUI and failure to maintain lane. This was the cause of the two vehicle wreck which was near the intersection of Highway 5 and La Vista Drive.
A report filed by Trooper First Class T.C. Saunders of the Georgia State Patrol stated that the suspect was driving north in a 2008 Kia Sedona minivan, at the same time the victim from Blue Springs, Mississippi was driving southbound in a 2000 Dodge Durango.
As the two vehicles closed in on each other the Kia crossed into the oncoming traffic lane on Hwy 5. The vehicle came all the way to the shoulder of the southbound lane and then back onto oncoming traffic causing the driver of the Dodge Durango to take evasive action.
The Durango swerved into the northbound lane to avoid the drunk driver, but at the same time the Kia also pulled back into the northbound lane. The drunk driver of the Kia then struck the rear passenger door of the SUV.
After the impact the Kia minivan was flipped onto its left side and the victims SUV spun counter clockwise and traveled sideways into the ditch.
According to the report the suspect had visible injuries but was not transported to the hospital for treatment.
The driver of the SUV was uninjured, however the five passengers riding in the vehicle were all transported to the Fannin Regional Hospital to treat their injuries.
The Deputy Director of the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency said that two of those victims were then taken to the Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga.
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