A Varnell, Ga., officer who was involved in a deadly crash with a 70-year-old man earlier this week is on administrative leave while an investigation is conducted, authorities said.
Officer James Smith was headed north on Cleveland Highway early Monday morning when his patrol car collided with Leon Thurman’s Dodge Neon, which was crossing the highway, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Thurman, a longtime contract newspaper carrier for the Dalton Daily Citizen, was ejected, and his car burst into flames. Smith was treated at the hospital for a facial injury then released, officials said.
Early investigation shows Thurman should have yielded to the patrol car, said Cpl. Kris Hemphill with the state patrol’s regional office in Dalton, Ga. But a collision reconstruction team will determine if there were any other contributing factors, he said.
The main factor authorities will be examining is how fast the officer was driving, Hemphill said. When the crash occurred, Smith didn’t have his blue lights on.