Update as of Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 3 p.m.:
A two-vehicle collision on I-985 near Oakwood left a Gainesville man critically injured Monday afternoon.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office reported that its Accident Investigations Unit responded to the scene on I-985 northbound near Mile Marker 15 at around 4:30 p.m.
An initial investigation reportedly determined a vehicle being driven by Paul Brawner of Gainesville was traveling in the right northbound lane and had slowed down because he noticed an HCSO deputy on the side of the interstate assisting a motorist with a mechanical breakdown. At the same time, a vehicle behind Brawners, driven by William Nichols, 41, of Vestavia, AL, struck Brawner’s vehicle from the rear.
The crash caused Brawner’s vehicle to flip on the driver’s side.
Brawner was extricated from his crashed vehicle. He was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville in critical but stable condition. His current medical condition is unknown. No one else was injured.
HCSO said charges are pending in the collision.
One lane of I-985 northbound was closed to traffic for just over an hour during the crash investigation.
Original Story:
Hall County Sheriff's Office's (HCSO's) Accident Investigation Unit (AIU) continues to determine what triggered an overtuned vehicle crash in Oakwood that delayed traffic during the afternoon and early evening commute.
Traffic delays late in the afternoon were due to the crash on I-985's northbound lanes between exits 15 and 16 along the right lane and shoulder, reported by eyewitnesses accounts. Only one lane of traffic was open during a portion of the evening commute while Hall County Fire Rescue and the HCSO's AIU were working to clear the road.
The identity of the driver involved has not been released. Hall County officials posted on social media that all travel lanes were restored just before 6:00 p.m.
