GSP Releases Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Numbers

Numbers are in from the Georgia Department of Public Safety for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, 14 people were killed on Georgia highways over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend started at 6 p.m. Wednesday and ended at midnight Sunday.

That is a total of 102 hours.

Nine of those fatalities were investigated by the Georgia State Patrol, while the other five were investigated by other local agencies around the state.

No traffic fatalities were reported in either the Toccoa or Hartwell posts of the Georgia State Patrol.

However, there was a traffic fatality reported in the Gainesville post of the GSP.

Meanwhile, two people are recovering from injuries after an accident in Stephens County just prior to the start of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

It occurred at about 5:12 p.m. last Wednesday on DeFoor Road in Stephens County.

According to the Toccoa post of the Georgia State Patrol, a 2006 Kia Sorento driven by 18-year-old Zedreaverinac Gaines of Eastanollee was traveling west on DeFoor Road when Gaines says he dropped a lit cigarette on his lap, looked and attempted to remove it.

The GSP says that at that point, the Sorento traveled off of the right edge of the roadway and Gaines over-corrected back to the left and lost control of the vehicle.

Authorities say the Sorento then traveled across both lanes of DeFoor Road, off of the left side of the roadway, then through a grass yard, and ending by striking the front of a house on DeFoor Road.

Troopers say the residence was damaged from the impact.

According to the GSP, both Gaines and a passenger, 23-year-old Andrakus Cunningham of Toccoa, were transported to Stephens County Hospital with possible injuries by Stephens County EMS.

The GSP says Gaines was cited for Failure to Exercise Due Care and Failure to Maintain Lane.