Teen Dies After Being Hit By Tractor Trailer While Changing Tire

The teenager who was hit by a tractor trailer while changing a tire along Interstate 75 in Bartow County has died.

Chris Abernathy, 14, of Acworth passed away after he had been hospitalized in critical condition following the accident, a Georgia State Patrol spokesperson said. 

Troopers received the call regarding the accident at 7:47 p.m. Jan. 9 along the interstate at mile marker 281.

Initial reports indicate a van was parked on the right shoulder along the interstate. Abernathy, 14, was helping his stepfather, Bret Dunham, 57, also of Acworth, change a tire “when a tractor trailer traveling northbound left its lane of travel and struck the 14-year-old pedestrian,” spokesperson Tracey Watson previously told Patch.

Abernathy was airlifted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston for treatment.

Charges are pending the agency’s Specialize Collision Reconstruction Team’s investigation of the accident for the driver of the truck, identified as Albert Riha, 32, of Ringgold.

Photo credit: Patch file