A 77-year-old man died Friday afternoon after the truck he was driving went off the right side of Nickville Road in a curve, rotated back toward the roadway, crossed the centerline, and struck a tree after exiting the left shoulder. Wayne Thomas Johnson was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital in Athens, according to authorities.
The crash happened Friday near Sand Hill Road in Elbert County. Johnson was traveling south on Nickville Road when the truck went off the right side of the road in a curve, according to WYFF. The vehicle rotated as it moved back into the roadway, crossed the centerline, then exited the left side of the road before striking a tree, the station reported, citing Georgia State Patrol. Johnson was not restrained at the time of the crash, per the same account, and troopers did not indicate that driver impairment was suspected.
Elbert County EMS transported Johnson to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center in Athens, Georgia, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
A Road With a Troubled History
A Road With a Troubled History Nickville Road has been the site of deadly crashes before. In July 2024, 23-year-old Keegan Polnaszek died. Friday's crash involved a roadway departure ending in a tree impact.
Traffic crash investigations in Elbert County fall under Georgia State Patrol Post 52, based in Hartwell, which also covers Hart and Franklin counties, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety. Hoodline previously covered an Elbert County crash in recent weeks, following an Elbert County driver airlifted after a Highway 368 crash near Shallow Creek Road in August, when a 34-year-old driver was seriously injured.
Rural Roads Carry Outsized Risk
Statewide, Georgia recorded 1,797 motor vehicle traffic fatalities in 2022, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The crash also involved a curve and a tree impact.
