Wednesday, Dec. 10, was a twice tragic one on roadways in Bulloch County, with two unrelated accidents claiming lives. The second fatal accident occurred in the afternoon on Georgia Highway 46 in the southeastern part of the county.
Georgia State Patrol Post 45, Statesboro, responded at 3:45 p.m. after being notified of the crash on Georgia 46 at Ash Branch Church Road.
"Upon arrival, a Trooper was notified that one driver was deceased and the second driver was being transported by EMS," stated a preliminary summary obtained from Franka Young in the public information office at the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
Investigating troopers "determined that a Kia Forte traveling north on Ash Branch Church Road failed to yield to a Ford Explorer traveling west on (Georgia) 46," the summary stated. "The Kia then left the roadway and struck a power pole. The driver of the Kia was deceased at the scene."
The deceased driver was identified as Dr. Barbara Montford, 67, a physician from Palmetto Bay, Florida, according to Bulloch County Coroner Chuck Francis.
Other media reported that the driver of the Ford Explorer was taken to a Savannah hospital but said to be in stable condition the evening of the crash.
Because of the fatality in a two-vehicle crash, one of the State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Teams, specifically SCRT-F, was notified and responded to the scene.
Day's first tragedy
That morning, an unrelated accident within the city limits of Statesboro had claimed the life of a local woman, as previously reported.
Mary Lastinger, 57, of Poplar Street, was pronounced dead at the scene after a commercial truck struck the adult tricycle she was riding in the crosswalk on East Parrish Street at North Main Street. Georgia State Patrol Post 45, Statesboro, troopers also responded to that accident following an 8:42 a.m. dispatch, and handled the investigation.
That intersection is the point where Parrish Street becomes U.S. Highway 301 North. A preliminary release from the state Department of Public Safety stated that the truck driver "was traveling east on East Parrish Street with a green traffic signal" and that the "pedestrian/cyclist," meaning Lastinger, rode her cycle into the marked crossing while the crosswalk indicator was giving "a stop/don't walk hand signal for pedestrians."