A 63-year-old Kennesaw man is dead after his pickup truck veered out of its lane, struck another vehicle, and slammed into a tree along a busy stretch of Ernest Barrett Parkway on Tuesday evening. Michael Gibbons was pronounced dead after suffering life-threatening injuries in the crash, which happened around 6 p.m. east of Crater Lake Drive.
According to WSB-TV, Gibbons was driving his red 2001 Ford F-250 eastbound when the truck veered out of its lane and struck the right side of a white 2017 Volkswagen Jetta traveling in the lane beside him. The Jetta was driven by 29-year-old Edgar Rodriguez of Marietta. Cobb County police have not said why Gibbons's truck left its lane. After the collision, the F-250 left the road, hit a tree, and came to rest on the northern shoulder.
Paramedics took Gibbons by ambulance to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead, the station's report states. The Atlanta News First report on the crash notes that Cobb County Police Department announced the details on Wednesday, a day after the collision, and that officers did not release an exact crash time beyond the approximate 6 p.m. window.
Investigation Continues on Busy Parkway
The Cobb County Police Department's Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Unit is continuing to investigate the crash, per the same account from WSB-TV. No further details about the cause have been released, and the circumstances that sent Gibbons's truck across lanes remain unclear. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department at 770-499-3987.
Cobb County police also flagged the case on social media, posting about the investigation on the department's Facebook page, which identifies itself with the motto “Honor – Integrity – Professionalism – Courage – Commitment – Respect.”
Part of a Troubling Pattern on Ernest Barrett Parkway
Tuesday's fatal crash is not an isolated incident on this stretch of roadway. Earlier this month, an 81-year-old Marietta man, Michael Alvarado, died following a separate two-vehicle collision on Ernest Barrett Parkway, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Investigators said Alvarado was driving a red 2000 Chevrolet Silverado northbound near the Irwin Road overpass at about 7:55 p.m. that Thursday when the crash occurred.
The road has also seen other serious wrecks recently. A motorcyclist suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash near Anderson Estates Court on a Saturday afternoon, as reported by WSB-TV. That crash happened around 1:20 p.m., and the rider came to rest in the driveway of a nearby business before being taken to a hospital; the driver of the Toyota involved was not injured.
