Car slams into tow truck ramp and flips 120 feet in air on Georgia highway, video shows
A driver was launched high into the air and flipped after colliding with a tow truck on a south Georgia highway, state troopers say.
Body-worn cameras captured the violent wreck Wednesday, May 24, as deputies tended to a separate crash on State Route 38/U.S. 84, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office told WALB.
In the video, deputies are standing on the opposite side of the highway when a car, with no signs of slowing down, speeds toward a stopped tow truck.
The car continues up the truck’s flat bed ramp and goes airborne, flipping before it lands on a passing car, the video shows.
A shocked deputy is heard in the video shouting and immediately rushes toward the wrecked cars.
The 21-year-old driver from Tallahassee, Florida, was launched in her Nissan 120 feet over the tow truck, which had its emergency lights on, Georgia State Patrol said in a crash report.
The sedan slid another 23 feet after hitting another Nissan on the road, according to state troopers.
The driver survived but was taken to a hospital with injuries, authorities said. The condition of the other driver wasn’t known.
A deputy was also hit by flying debris but is expected to be OK, according to troopers.
McClatchy News reached out to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office on May 30 and was awaiting a response.
Officials said the crash highlights the importance of Georgia’s Move Over law, which “requires drivers to move-over one lane when possible if an emergency vehicle with flashing lights is parked on the shoulder of the highway,” according to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
This includes fire, EMS, DOT vehicles and wreckers.
Additional details weren’t released, and troopers did not say if the driver will face charges.
Lowndes County is about 70 miles northeast of Tallahassee, Florida.
This story was originally published May 31, 2023 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Car slams into tow truck ramp and flips 120 feet in air on Georgia highway, video shows."