GAINESVILLE - The Georgia State Patrol is investigating a single-vehicle accident Monday evening that resulted in the death of a Gainesville man.
67-year-old Ronald Harris was killed in the crash that occurred on Blackstock Road shortly after 5 p.m., according to Cpl. Auston Allen with the State Patrol.
Allen said at approximately 5:11 p.m., Harris's 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was heading northbound on Blackstock St. when it left the roadway just north of Old Street. That location is north of the Talmo area in the southern reaches of the Gainesville city limits.
Harris, who was the vehicle's lone occupant, initially drifted off the right side of the roadway, where he struck a roadsign with the right side of his truck. Allen said Harris then overcorrected, causing his truck to veer off the left side of the roadway.
"[He] then went off the left side of the road...traveled into a creek and struck a tree," Allen said.
Harris, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, was ejected from the vehicle at some point during the event.
Despite the severity of the crash, Allen said authorities were never forced to shut down the roadway while debris was cleared.
The accident is currently under investigation.
