Truck Driver Charged In Wreck That Killed One, Injured 17

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A truck driver from Jackson faces criminal charges in a fiery, eight-vehicle crash in Lawrenceville last week that killed a woman and injured 17 other people.

Joseph Newson, 60, has been charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and following too closely. Both are misdemeanors.

Eva Jones Wilkerson, 62, of Winder, was killed in the crash when the Toyota Corolla she was driving became trapped beneath Newson's tractor-trailer and caught on fire.

The crash, which also injured 17 people, happened at about 3:45 p.m. last Monday on Ga. 316 near Hi Hope Road.

Those injured in the wreck were nine adults and eight children. The children's ages ranged from 10 to 17, according to a Lawrenceville Police report.

In all, nine people were taken to the hospital, while the others were treated at the scene. Two adults were admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

The police report said that traffic came to a stop on Hi Hope Road, near Ga. 316, but Newson failed to stop.

Newson was arrested on Wednesday and booked at Gwinnett County Jail, according to the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office records.

Photo courtesy Gwinnett Fire & Emergency Services