A motorcycle driver was left critically injured following a two-vehicle crash on Cleveland Highway Monday night.
Hall County Sheriff’s Office Spokeswoman B.J. Williams said deputies and investigators responded to the scene at Hilltop Circle north of Gainesville just after 9 p.m. An initial investigation determined that the driver of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was traveling southbound on Cleveland Highway when the driver of a Chevrolet Malibu drove from the parking lot of a convenience store and into the roadway, striking the motorcycle.
The driver of the motorcycle, Kyle Reece Barnes, 37, of Gainesville was then ejected from his bike onto the roadway. Barnes reportedly suffered multiple injuries, including two broken legs and a broken pelvis. He was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville where he remains as of the last update in the case.
The driver of the Malibu, identified as Kevin Drew Mitchell, 29, of Gainesville, remained at the scene following the collision. Mitchell was charged with DUI, serious injury by vehicle, failure to yield entering roadway, open container violation, seatbelt violation, driving without a license and defective equipment (broken driver’s seat propped up with a blanket).
Mitchell also suffered visible facial swelling after he apparently struck something in the vehicle as the result of his being unrestrained in the car.
Cleveland Highway was closed for approximately one and a half hours to allow for the crash investigation and the clearing of wreckage, Williams said.
Kevin Drew Mitchell, 29, of Gainesville, as charged with DUI, serious injury by vehicle, failure to yield entering roadway, open container violation, seatbelt violation, driving without a license and defective equipment (broken driver’s seat propped up with a blanket).
http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/5/1291004/gainesville-man-charged-with-serious-injury-by-vehicle-in-monday-wreck