12 Die On Georgia Roads Over Thanksgiving Holiday

ATLANTA, GA -- Traffic accidents around Georgia during the 2017 Thanksgiving holiday travel period resulted in 12 fatalities, a considerable decrease from the previous year, according to the Georgia State Patrol. The state has released its figures for the 102-hour long travel period, which began Nov. 22 and ended Nov. 26.

Across the Peach State, troopers investigated 627 traffic crashes that resulted in 294 injuries and 12 deaths. In addition to the crash investigations, 299 people were arrested for driving under the influence, while 11,289 citations and 15,619 warnings were issued. Gwinnett County police was the only local agency that reported a traffic death during the holiday period.

The 2017 numbers are a marked improvement from the 2016 statistics. Last year during the same holiday traffic period, 20 people were killed in wrecks across the state and troopers investigated 608 traffic crashes that resulted in 286 injuries. State troopers investigated 13 fatal crashes that resulted in 17 traffic deaths. The remaining three fatalities were investigated by Floyd County, Savannah-Chatham Metro and Cobb County police. 273 people were also arrested in 2016 for driving under the influence, GSP added.

For the 2017 collisions worked by troopers, three traffic deaths were investigated by Georgia State Patrol posts in Dalton, Paulding and Calhoun; five by the Gainesville, Toccoa and Athens posts; and three were investigated by troopers based out of Dublin.

The Dublin post also investigated the fatal head-on collision involving two Cobb County brothers and Georgia Southern University students who died early Sunday in an accident along Interstate 16 in Laurens County. An initial investigation indicates a Toyota Avalon driven by Jared Adler, 27, of Sandy Springs, was traveling westbound in the left eastbound lane around 1:15 a.m. Nov. 26 when it crashed head-on into Saturn L200, which was traveling eastbound on the interstate.

The Saturn caught fire and its occupants, Jack Deacon Harris, 20, and Garrett Harris 18 ,died in the collision, the agency added. Adler was transported to Navicent Heath Hospital for treatment of his injuries. GSP's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team continues to investigate the collision and charges are pending in the crash.

Image via Georgia Department of Public Safety