A Tuesday wreck that shut down Main Street in Cornelia resulted in the extended entrapment of the driver and led to him being cited by the Georgia State Patrol.
Dale Moore, 59, of Baldwin was driving his 2002 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck south on Main Street near Chattahoochee Street when it entered the other lane and struck a 2007 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck driven by Telford Loudermilk, 35, of Mt. Airy about 11:30 a.m.
After impact with the other truck, Moore’s truck crossed a curb, struck a fence and struck the side wall of Daniel’s Barber & Beauty Shop before overturning down a wall and landing on its roof below, trapping Moore inside.
Personnel from Cornelia Fire Department, Cornelia Police Department and Habersham County Emergency Services worked for about 30 minutes to free Moore from the vehicle.
“Upon arrival, first units found a pickup truck that had hit another vehicle, then a business and rolled over a retaining wall onto its top,” said Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black. “One male patient was still in the vehicle and due to how the vehicle came to rest it made emergency personnel’s job difficult in extricating the patient.”
Gasoline from the truck’s fuel tank was actively pouring onto the ground where the patient was located, Black said.
“The gas leak was secured with Cornelia Fire placing charged hose lines on the ground from two different vantage points due to gas leakage and vapors, including a foam line,” Black said.
After being freed from the vehicle, Moore was transported by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Black said.
Moore was cited by GSP with failure to maintain lane.
The wreck shut down Main Street between Chattahoochee Street and Stovall Alley for about an hour due to the active gas leak and subsequent wreck cleanup.
Baldwin Police Department, Habersham County Sheriff's Office and Cornelia Police Code Enforcement Division assisted with traffic and crowd control during the incident.
