A driver is dead after missing a turn and slamming into a concrete barrier near the intersection of Akers Mill Road and Cumberland Boulevard in Cobb County early Wednesday morning. Police say the driver, behind the wheel of a blue 2014 Toyota Corolla, was heading east on Akers Mill Road around 2 a.m. when the crash happened.
According to Atlanta News First, the driver tried to make a right turn onto Cumberland Boulevard but instead continued straight through the intersection, crashing into a concrete barrier. An ambulance rushed the driver to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with life-threatening injuries, where medical personnel later pronounced him dead, the station reports.
Per 11Alive, the Cobb County Police Department's S.T.E.P. unit responded to the scene at 2:01 a.m. Wednesday, after the Corolla came to a stop on Cumberland Boulevard following the collision. Investigators believe speed contributed to the crash, the outlet notes, though no additional details about the vehicle's speed have been released.
Identity Withheld as Investigation Continues
Police have not released the driver's identity because his next of kin had not yet been notified, the same report states. The crash remains under investigation, and authorities have not said whether any citations or charges are expected to follow.
Cobb County police are asking anyone with information about the crash to call 770-499-3987.
A Stretch of Road With a History
The Akers Mill Road and Cumberland Boulevard corridor has seen serious crashes before. In an earlier incident reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a driver was killed after investigators believe he rammed his pickup truck through a concrete barrier on the Akers Mill Road HOV ramp, sending the vehicle off a bridge and onto I-75.
Cobb County's own safety planning materials set a goal of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries countywide, alongside a target of reducing all safety performance measures by five percent annually, according to the Cobb County Department of Transportation. Drivers or residents looking for broader context on local crash trends can consult the Georgia Department of Transportation's crash data dashboard, which lets users filter crash records by city, county or region.
