A Gainesville man, who was a passenger in a pickup truck, was killed when the truck was struck from behind on SR 98 in Commerce Wednesday morning.
SFC Timothy Meyer, the Commander of Post 32 of the Georgia State Patrol in Athens, said the fatal crash happened around 9:15 a.m.
"Our investigation found that a grey Chevrolet Equinox was traveling east on SR 98 when it encountered traffic that was stopped at a DOT work zone in the area," Meyer wrote in an email statement. "The Equinox rear-ended a grey Ford pickup. The pickup truck traveled off the roadway to the right after impact and overturned one or more times."
Meyer said the driver of the pickup Jason Vieira, 37, of Gainesville was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville with non-life threatening injuries, but his passenger Mark Alan Vieira, 61, also of Gainesville, died as a result of injuries he suffered in the crash.
The driver of the Equinox was identified as Martha K. Brogan, 62, of Commerce. Brogan was transported to Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital with serious injuries. Meyer said it is likely charges will be filed against Brogan.
In addition, a white BMW SUV that was traveling west on SR 98 at the time was hit by debris from the initial crash. Meyer said the driver of the BMW was not injured.
