Amid outbreak of Augusta traffic deaths, Ga. agency fighting trend

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Amid a backdrop of a surge in Richmond County traffic deaths, one Georgia agency is trying to tackle the problem.

The latest traffic deaths in Richmond County include 43-year-old pedestrian Seanque L. Hester, who was struck by a vehicle on Meadowbrook Drive at Bullock Avenue at 10:55 p.m. Monday.

Also killed over the weekend was motorcyclist Jonathan Campbell, 21, from Fort Eisenhower. He lost control on the westbound Interstate 20 flyover ramp to eastbound I-520. He hit the wall while going too fast and died at the scene, authorities said.

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The two Augusta deaths were among at least 14 people who died over the Christmas holiday period on Georgia roads.

The Georgia Department of Public Health received nearly $2.5 million from the National Highway Traffic Safety istration to prevent traffic fatalities like these.

The agency says traffic deaths increased 8% in 2021 to the highest levels in the past decade; data showed that nearly half of those deaths were people who weren’t wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

In addition to the deaths of Hester and Campbell, Richmond County has seen its share of those traffic fatalities, including these in the past few days:

A 65-year-old North Augusta woman died Wednesday in a crash with an 18-wheeler carrying logs on Gordon Highway at Tubman Home Road.
A pair of separate accidents Dec. 14 claimed two lives in Augusta – one at Gordon Highway and Jimmie Dyess Parkway and one on westbound I-520 at Wheeler Road.
A 58-year-old man died Dec. 13, nearly two weeks after his car slammed into a home on Meadowbrook Drive in Augusta. That crash was just about a block away from the Christmas Day pedestrian death.

DPH got the money to fund these programs handing out child safety seats to people in need, processing emergency room visit data, analyzing crash statistics, and helping senior drivers “help maintain their mobility, their mental and physical acuity, and their lifestyle as they age.”

“These grant dollars provide safety equipment, education and contribute to a safer roadway system for Georgians and everyone who travels through the state,” said Georgia DPH Commissioner Dr. Kathleen E. Toomey.