A Statham woman has been arrested almost eight months after she was involved in a fatal Oconee County crash that killed a National EMS paramedic in Athens. The woman was identified as 34-year-old Megan Elizabeth Kingston.
The accident happened around 12:15 a.m. on September 19, 2020 along Georgia Highway 316 in Oconee County.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Kingston’s vehicle was allegedly traveling in the wrong lane when it crashed head-on into a car driven by 43-year-old Winder resident Jennifer Lee Patrick.
Patrick died as a result of her injuries.
Kingston suffered serious injuries. She had to be freed from her Toyota RAV and she was taken to an Athens hospital.
She is now facing charges of vehicular homicide, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, driving under the influence of multiple substances, and having an open container of alcohol.
Kingston was taken into custody on the afternoon of May 11. An Athens-Clarke driving along Atlanta Highway reportedly saw her driving while holding a cellphone.
The officer stopped her, learned she had outstanding warrants and turned her over to an Oconee County sheriff’s deputy. The officer cited her for distracted driving.
Kingston was booked into the Oconee County Jail.
Following the fatal accident, an eyewitness told the State Patrol he saw Kingston’s Toyota make a turn off Georgia Highway 11 and go east in the westbound lane of Highway 316.
The man tried to alert the driver by blowing his horn and signaling with his cell phone light, all to no avail. He then started to record the vehicle and managed to capture footage of the Oconee County crash.
Another motorist told the authorities he also blew on his horn and called 911 while a third person flashed their lights in an effort to warn westbound motorists about the wrong-way driver.
If your loved one was killed in a crash caused by a negligent driver, reach out to a Georgia car accident lawyer to find out if you’re entitled to compensation.
Source: https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/2021/05/12/statham-ga-woman-charged-oconee-county-wreck-killed-athens-paramedic/5060026001/
