The Habersham County Sheriff alleged Monday evening that the driver of the Corvette in Sunday’s fiery collision on Ga. 365 was traveling “in excess of 150 miles per hour” at the time of the collision that left five people dead.
Sheriff Joey Terrell made the comments while speaking at a Habersham County Board of Commissioners Meeting.
The accident happened at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Ga. 365’s intersection with Mount Zion Road. The Georgia State Patrol previously told AccessWDUN Avonlea Holtzclaw, 29, of Dahlonega, was attempting to cross Ga. 365 southbound onto Mt. Zion Road in a Ford Explorer. That's when a Chevrolet Corvette, which was driving southbound on Ga. 365, collided with Holtzclaw's vehicle.
Holtzclaw and the 5- and 6-year-old children in her vehicle died in the collision. Additionally, Mitchell Boggs, 58, of Marietta, and another unidentified occupant of the Corvette both died as a result. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday afternoon Holtzclaw and the two children were the wife and kids of Hall County Sheriff’s Deputy Patrick Neil Holtzclaw.
Terrell's comments about the speed of the Corvette could not be corroborated by the Georgia State Patrol, which is the investigating agency in the crash. When asked about the speed of the vehicles or other contributing factors in the crash, a Georgia State Patrol spokesperson said they were unable to release information on those details at this time as the investigation is still active. The agency was also unable to release information about at-fault driver(s).
This was the second serious accident on Ga. 365 in just two days. The first was reported Saturday near Rock Road and left eight people with injuries. Sheriff Terrell said at the meeting these two accidents, and many other previous accidents on the roadway, show safety improvements need to be made at 365’s crossover intersections.
“We’ve been fighting this battle for years,” Terrell said. “A Hall County Deputy lost his wife and his two children because someone was speeding in excess of 150 miles per hour, an estimation. But when’s it going to end?”
Terrell said he has spoken with Georgia House District 28 Representative Chris Erwin, House District 10 Representative Victor Anderson and District 50 State Senator Bo Hatchett about setting up a meeting with the Georgia Department of Transportation to discuss safety improvements at crossover intersections on Ga. 365.
“We’ve got to sit down with them and we’ve got to have some answers for the rest of these crossovers,” Terrell said. “How many more people have to lose their lives before improvements are made?”
Senator Hatchett said he hopes to increase safety in the corridor, and it all starts with the meeting with the Georgia DOT.
"One of the first things we have to do is get everybody in the same room," Hatchett said. "That's what happened in front of Jaemor Farms. For years, they've had some really bad accidents and now that they've put in the dividers in front of Jaemor Farms and have prevented people from being able to cross directly over all four lanes, we've seen obviously a tremendous decrease in accidents there. Whether or not that's the answer at all the intersections from the Hall County line to the north end of the Habersham County line, I don't know."
Hatchett said the recent accidents have kept him cautious, especially as his office is right off Ga. 365.
"Obviously with the tragedy that we've seen over the past several years and especially over the past week, you think twice before you get on the road to begin with, before you put your children in the car and drive on the road with you," Hatchett said. "We've got to do something and I think we are going to move with all deliberate haste to find a solution to prevent tragedy from striking again."
Update published Monday at 3:10 p.m.:
A driver and the two children who were killed in a two-vehicle accident Sunday afternoon on Ga. 365 in Habersham County were confirmed Monday afternoon as the wife and kids of a Hall County Sheriff's Deputy. Five people died in total.
The Hall County Sheriff's Office said Monday afternoon Avonlea Holtzclaw, 29, of Dahlonega, and the 5 and 6-year-old children who were in her vehicle, were the wife and children of Deputy Patrick Neil Holtzclaw. Avonlea, the two children, Mitchell Boggs, 58, of Marietta, and one unidentified passenger in Boggs' vehicle were all killed in the wreck at about 3:30 p.m. at 365's intersection with Mount Zion Road.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch pledged to support Deputy Holtzclaw in the coming days, weeks and months.
“What can you say when someone loses his entire family?" Couch said in a statement. "There are no words that can adequately express the heartbreak the Holtzclaw family is experiencing right now, but clearly our entire agency is devastated for them. We appreciate the many law enforcement agencies that have reached out asking how they can help. If I know our community, they will want to offer support, too. For now, we ask that you remember Deputy Holtzclaw in your prayers and give him time to grieve privately.”
According to a media release from the Georgia State Patrol, Avonlea was attempting to cross Ga. 365 southbound onto Mt. Zion Road in a Ford Explorer. That's when a Chevrolet Corvette which was driving southbound on 365 collided with Holtzclaw's vehicle.
The Georgia State Patrol has not released any details about contributing factors in the accident or any information regarding at-fault driver(s).
Original story published Monday at 6:26 a.m.:
A Sunday afternoon two-vehicle wreck on Ga. 365 in Habersham County led to the death of five people, including two children.
According to a media release from the Georgia State Patrol, the wreck happened around 3:30 p.m. at 365's intersection with Mt. Zion Road.
The agency said the crash happened when Avonlea Holtzclaw, 29, of Dahlonega, was attempting to cross Ga. 365 southbound onto Mt. Zion Road in a Ford Explorer. That's when a Chevrolet Corvette which was driving southbound on 365 collided with Holtzclaw's vehicle.
The Georgia State Patrol confirmed that all five occupants from both cars were pronounced dead at the scene.
Mitchell Boggs, 58, of Marietta, and another unidentified occupant of the Corvette both died as a result. Holtzclaw had two children in their vehicle, listed as ages 5 and 6.
The Georgia State Patrol has not released any details about contributing factors in the accident or any information regarding at-fault driver(s).
This crash followed another collision Saturday on Ga. 365 in Habersham County where eight people were injured by Rock Road.
