Georgia High School Coach Hit By Truck While Running With Her Team

GAINESVILLE, GA — A Georgia high school cross country coach was facing surgery Tuesday after being hit by a truck while running with her team.

Chestatee High School girls cross country and track coach Stacey Merck, 38, was hit in the face Sunday by the rear view mirror of a 2011 Dodge Ram while she was out running with her team, reports WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Merck's injuries were not life-threatening. But she was at Grady Memorial Hospital where, according to the school's Twitter feed, she was preparing for her first facial surgery Tuesday.

Meanwhile, her team was preparing Tuesday afternoon to compete in the Hall County championships.

The team arrived with a banner bearing the phrase "Run 4 Merck." Many team members used markers to write similar messages on their bodies before their races.

"Looking for a great effort in the Hall Co. Championships today," read a Chestatee High post on Twitter. "Coach Merck is with us in spirit!! Miss you Coach."

The Georgia State Patrol says Merck was running north of Sardis Road on Chestatee Road when she was hit, according to WSB. The report described the truck as sitting up high with its mirrors sticking far out.

The truck's driver stopped to check on Merck. But she and the driver reportedly disagreed on how the accident happened.

Merck said she and her team were running single-file in a bike lane, while the driver described her as being in the road, WSB reported.