SAVANNAH, Ga. — A 911 dispatcher died Tuesday afternoon after the car she was driving collided with the rear of a stopped county-owned truck.
The Republic reported that Keri Clark, 23, died after rear-ending the truck. The truck was behind a mower that was cutting grass along the guard rails with its emergency lights and directional arrows illuminated and operating at the time of the crash, according to the report.
The truck driver was treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital and the road was shut down for several hours after the crash, according to the report.
Clark was Chatham County’s 2013 EMS Dispatcher of the Year and had worked in the communications department for two years, officials said.
“As a 911 dispatcher, Keri Clark was constantly involved in saving lives,” Police Chief Willie Lovett said in a statement. “Almost every member of this department at some time probably has depended on her for vital information. This was a shock to our entire communications department and the rest of us are saddened as well.”
Clark was named dispatcher of the year after spending nearly an hour on the phone with a suicidal woman, who later called the center to personally thank Clark for listening, according to the report.