A suspected drunk driver is accused of causing an accident that caused the death of an unborn baby in Gwinnett County Sunday night.
Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Michele Pihera released details of the deadly crash in a press release on Monday, saying the collision happened around 8 p.m. on Winder Highway near Franklin Drive in Dacula.
Pihera said Charles Rutledge, 37, of Lilburn was driving his pickup truck southbound on Winder Highway when he crossed the double yellow lines on the road and hit the side of a northbound Nissan Sentra being driven by Claudia Sanchez, 36, of Lawrenceville. Just behind Sanchez in the northbound lanes was a Toyota 4Runner. Pihera said 22-year-old Christina Barnum of Auburn, who was pregnant, was driving the vehicle. Joseph Barnum, 23, and Jason Barnum, 2, were passengers in the Toyota.
"Charles’s vehicle continued southbound in the northbound lanes and struck the blue Toyota 4 Runner head-on," Pihera said. "Christina, Joseph and Jason were all transported to the hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries. Christina was in her 3rd trimester of pregnancy. After Christina was treated for her injuries, it was determined that her unborn baby died as a result of the collision."
Pihera said Rutledge is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. She said once the investigation is complete, criminal charges would likely be filed.
"This is the second traffic collision that has resulted in the death of an unborn baby in the past few weeks. Our thoughts are with the grieving families during these difficult times," Pihera said in the email statement.
