A Jackson County Sheriff's Deputy suffered minor injuries Saturday afternoon when his patrol vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer while parked on the center median of I-85.
Dep. Chris Peters was briefly hospitalized after the accident, which Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said happened while Peters was writing up a report on an earlier incident.
"Around 3 this afternoon, the deputy was in the center median on I-85. A...small trailer had come loose from a vehicle, so there was a wrecker there to get that trailer," Mangum said over the phone.
"He was sitting there with blue lights on, writing up the report, and this tractor-trailer was going too fast, I guess," she said. "[The driver] started hitting the breaks, and when he did, he jackknifed the tractor-trailer and it hit the vehicle."
Peters' injuries were described by Mangum as non-life-threatening, but he was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. He was released a few hours later and will have a follow-up appointment early next week.
He has been with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office for approximately 10 years, spread across two separate stints.
The at-fault driver, Michael Anthony Morongell of Hartsville, South Carolina now faces multiple charges according to Mangun.
"He was cited with Failure to Maintain Lane and Driving Too Fast for Conditions," she said.
The Georgia State Patrol is handling the investigation.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/1/870814/charges-pending-after-jackson-co-deputy-injured-by-jackknifed-tractor-trailer