Matthew Allen Pickens, a 44-year-old resident of Calhoun, has been charged with homicide by vehicle in connection with a fatal head-on crash that occurred last month in Gordon County. As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Pickens, who was previously hospitalized at Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was booked into Gordon County Jail this past Tuesday. Pickens' list of charges includes serious injury by vehicle, fleeing and eluding officers, along with multiple other traffic-related offenses.
The crash that led to these charges happened on August 23, when Pickens allegedly fled from law enforcement and collided head-on with a Dade County family's vehicle on Rome Road. This series of events tragically left one person dead and others with severe injuries. According to details from AllOnGeorgia, Pickens had driven the wrong way into oncoming traffic, showing "total disregard for the safety of any other person."
After the accident, the Georgia State Patrol took over the investigation, working alongside the county coroner to piece together the events that led to the collision. It was not until after his hospital stay, where Pickens was reported to have been in intensive care, that officials released his identity and extradited him back to Gordon County. This incident adds to Pickens' history of traffic-related offenses, with records showing he has been booked into the Gordon County Jail three times—in 2020, 2022, and 2023—prior to this latest charge.
The aftermath of the crash on that fateful day was one of urgency and swift response, with deputies not involved in the chase attempting to remove the injured from the vehicles and administer first aid, even as both cars were burning. "Fire/Rescue and Emergency Medical Service personnel arrived swiftly to extricate and treat the injured," as stated by AllOnGeorgia. Multiple individuals, including Pickens, were airlifted from the scene due to the severity of their injuries.
Local authorities continue to handle the investigation into the crash, with no further updates provided on the condition of the other injured parties.
