Child dies after morning wreck on perimeter

A toddler died late Wednesday afternoon, hours after a pickup rear-ended his mother’s car when she stopped on the Athens Perimeter to let an ambulance pass. Tobias Hayes, who was four weeks shy of his second birthday, died at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, according to the Georgia State Patrol. His mother and grandfather, who were in the front seat of the car, were treated at Athens Regional Medical Center and released, but a third adult who sat next to the child in the back remained hospitalized in fair condition, an Athens Regional spokesman said. The pickup’s driver, 69-year-old Wendell Hardigree of Watkinsville, did not require medical treatment, officials said. One or both of the drivers may be charged once the patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team finishes investigating, said Sgt. Al Whitworth, assistant commander of the patrol’s Athens post. Although the truck apparently was following the car too closely, investigators are checking to see if the child’s mother stopped improperly on the highway, Whitworth said. “We’re not sure the truck was totally at fault,” he said. “Both vehicles are being investigated.” Investigators also are checking to see if the child’s car seat was properly installed, Whitworth said. The collision happened about 7:40 a.m. as 25-year-old Tiffany Hayes of Bogart was driving west on the perimeter between Timothy Road and Epps Bridge Parkway in Oconee County, said Matthew Miles, the trooper who handled the initial investigation. Hayes and other drivers slowed as an ambulance with lights and siren on approached from behind, and she apparently brought her Honda Civic to a stop on the side of the road with part of the car in the travel lane, according to Miles. The pickup smashed into the Honda at a high speed, crumpling the back of the much smaller car, the trooper said. The child was in a car seat and his mother and the other adults in the Honda wore seat belts, Miles said. The impact pushed the Honda into a sport utility vehicle that also had slowed for the ambulance, he said, but the SUV had only minor damage and the driver was not injured. Hardigree, whose truck was towing a utility trailer, was on his way to Flowery Branch in Hall County, according to Miles. Paramedics first took the child to Athens Regional, where a helicopter picked him up and flew him to the hospital in Atlanta, Miles said. The trooper identified the child’s grandfather as Wayne Lumpkin, 51, of Athens. The Honda’s back-seat passenger was 52-year-old Gloria Watkins, also of Athens, but Miles did not know if she is related to the other victims. The wreck happened at the height of the morning commute and closed the westbound lanes for hours. Athens-Clarke police officers and Oconee County sheriff’s deputies briefly closed both sides of the Athens Perimeter – also known as the Georgia Highway 10 Loop – in both directions so motorists who were stuck on the westbound Inner Loop could cross the grassy median and exit the highway from the other direction, officials said. But the Inner Loop remained closed until shortly before 11:30 a.m. while troopers examined the crash site for the investigation.

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The lawyers at Link & Smith, P.C. extend their sympathy to anybody involved or affected by this wreck. Claims involving wrecks like this need to be handled by experienced accident lawyers familiar with complicated insurance issues that often arise in such a case.

We are committed to helping people recover following an accident. These are the types of cases we have litigated.

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Child dies after morning wreck on perimeter

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