Wayne Ford
Athens Banner-Herald, Ga.
OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. — A Statham woman was arrested recently on a vehicular homicide charge stemming from a wreck last year that claimed the life of a paramedic with National EMS in Athens.
The wreck occurred about 12:15 a.m. Sept. 19 on Georgia Highway 316 in Oconee County when the suspect’s vehicle, traveling in the wrong lane, crashed head on into a car driven by the paramedic, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The wreck killed Jennifer Lee Patrick, 43, of Winder. Patrick, employed by National EMS in Athens for about seven years, was on her way home from work, according to her obituary and National EMS.
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The other driver, Megan Elizabeth Kingston, 34, was transported to a hospital in Athens with serious injuries after she was extricated from her Toyota RAV.
Warrants were recently obtained for Kingston charging her — in addition to vehicular homicide — with reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, having an open container of alcohol and driving under the influence of multiple substances.
An Athens man told the State Patrol he saw the Toyota turn off Georgia Highway 11 in Barrow County and begin traveling east in the westbound lane on Highway 316, according to the report.
The man began blowing his horn and waving his cell phone light in an attempt to alert the driver of the Toyota, then began recording the vehicle, capturing the actual crash with the oncoming Nissan Altima driven by Patrick, troopers said. The video is now part of the evidence, according to the report.
Another motorist, a man from Statham, reported to the patrol that he began blowing his horn to get the wrong-way driver’s attention. He also called 911.
A third driver, a Johns Creek resident, said he was traveling east and began flashing his lights, trying to warn westbound motorists of the eastbound vehicle in their lane.
Kingston was arrested about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday in Athens while driving on Atlanta Highway, when an Athens- Clarke officer monitoring traffic saw her driving while holding a cellphone to her head.
After making the stop, the officer learned of the outstanding warrants and turned her over to an Oconee County sheriff’s deputy. Police also cited her for distracted driving.
Kingston remained in the Oconee County Jail on Wednesday without bond.
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