2nd driver charged in I-20 crash that killed 24-year-old near Grovetown
GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A second person has been arrested in connection with a July crash that killed a woman on Interstate 20 near the Lewiston Road exit.
The latest person arrested was driving the car carrying the victim, 24-year-old Mya Angela Steed, of Dearing, according to an accident report from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. The car was being driven below the minimum speed and with a flat tire, according to authorities.
Previously arrested was the driver of the vehicle that rear-ended the car with the flat. That driver was using a cellphone that was playing YouTube videos, according to authorities.
Both drivers were found to have some fault in the crash, according to the accident report.
We are not reporting their names or using their photos because the crime is not a felony.
The crash happened just before 10:15 a.m. July 5 when the car carrying Steed, a 2013 Nissan Altima, was traveling east on I-20 in the outside lane and half a mile east of Lewiston Road, according to the accident report. It had a flat tire and was traveling 10-15 mph with its hazard lights on, according to the report.
The driver of another car, a 2020 Chevrolet Express, approached the Altima from the rear and the driver failed to notice the Altima, according to the accident report.
The Express rear-ended the Altima, which ended up in a ditch.
Steed, a front enger in the Altima, was taken by ambulance to Doctors Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The driver of the Altima knew about the tire failure and had exited the interstate to a business about getting a new tire, then made the decision to re-enter the interstate and drive well below the minimum speed of 40 mph, according to the report.
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The driver of the Express didn’t have a clear line of sight, took little to no evasive action to avoid the hazard and was using a cellular device at the time of the crash, according to the accident report. The screen was on with the YouTube app open and in focus, with videos playing at or around the area of impact, according to the accident report.
The driver of the Express was arrested Sept. 4 and charged with homicide by vehicle in the second degree, driver to exercise due care, following too closely and basic rules, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver of the Altima was arrested Thursday and charged with homicide by vehicle in the second degree, no proof of minimum insurance, operating an unsafe or improperly equipped vehicle, violating the minimum speed and driving while license suspended or revoked, according to Columbia County jail records.
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