Two Demorest men were seriously injured in a crash involving a side-by-side ATV west of Clarkesville Wednesday night.
“On Dec. 23 at approximately 9:10 p.m., a 2019 Polaris, an off-highway vehicle, was traveling on Daniel Road,” said Cpl. John Getty of Georgia State Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa.
The wreck happened in the area of Poplar Creek Trail, according to Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black.
Getty identified the driver as 27-year-old Austin Kimsey and the passenger as 55-year-old Jeffery Kimsey, both of Demorest.
“Personnel arrived to find two adult males, one mid-20s and one mid-50s, who were ejected from a Polaris RZR that had flipped multiple times,” Black said. “Both patients were transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville as Level 1 Trauma Alerts – one patient critical and one with serious injuries.”
Getty said speed was a factor in the crash.
“They were traveling too fast for the conditions and the driver lost control of the vehicle,” Getty said. “The vehicle traveled off the roadway, struck an embankment, overturned, and ejected the driver and passenger.”
Black said the Christmas holiday period already is starting out to be a bad one on the roads.
“Unfortunately, like Thanksgiving, we are starting the holidays off with another tragic accident,” Black said. “Please keep the families in your thoughts and prayers, as well as our personnel, who continue to work hard during these very difficult and unprecedented times.”
Getty said the GSP investigation is not complete.
