A woman is dead following a freak accident in which a tire flew off a vehicle and hit her in the head.
Twenty-two-year-old Middle Georgia resident Kimberly Touchton was walking her dog on Sunday night while the van was traveling on a nearby overhead bridge.
Houston County authorities said the driver, 25-year-old Brian Seth Carmichael, was arrested because authorities believe he saw the incident but didn’t report it.
Lt. Kent Bankston of the Houston County Sheriff’s Office said the Fort Valley resident has been charged with failing to report an accident with injury or death.
Bankston said Touchton left her trailer park home around 9 p.m. to walk her dog. Her family became worried when she didn’t return after the usual 15 to 20 minutes.
Around 45 minutes later, the dog returned without her, prompting the family to search the park. Touchton’s fiancé found her lying face-down and called 911.
The young woman was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Bankston said the tire snapped Touchton’s neck.
The trailer park is located in a deep valley near Ga. 49 and Highway 11, and the road is elevated. Bankston said Houston Road, where the tire came from, is a bridge that’s at an even higher elevation. He said the tire probably traveled about 300 yards or more before it hit the victim.
Deputies found Carmichael after they saw an unattended vehicle about a quarter of a mile away that was missing the tire and wheel assembly. He reportedly called someone to pick him up after the incident.
Bankston said investigators are inspecting Carmichael’s vehicle and additional charges could be coming depending on the results.
In the meantime, Carmichael was booked into the county jail and granted a $2,600 bond.
If you suffer an injury due to someone else’s negligence, contact a Georgia accident lawyer.
Source: https://www.ajc.com/news/crime–law/middle-georgia-man-charged-after-tire-flies-off-vehicle-kills-woman-walking-dog/TsBoIl3K7w2NSksrURYQzJ/
