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HERO operator dies in wreck
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Associated Press
Updated: Jan 31, 2011, 6:08 PM
Published: Jan 31, 2011, 6:09 PM

ATLANTA - Authorities say a Georgia Department of Transportation "HERO" operator has been killed while helping a motorist on Interstate 85 south of downtown Atlanta.

Authorities say the crash happened late Monday morning near the Metropolitan Parkway exit. The Georgia State Patrol says the operator had stopped in an emergency lane on I-85 and was outside the vehicle. Authorities say a truck pulling a trailer struck the HERO truck, which then collided with the operator. All the southbound lanes of I-85 were closed for a time after the wreck.
April 3 crash kills two young adults, injures third
Newton County Sheriff Car---WEB
Kate Verity
Published: Apr 4, 2025, 10:29 PM

NEWTON COUNTY — Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a head-on collision on Highway 212 left two young adults dead and a third hospitalized.

Joe Navarro, 21, was driving the vehicle and Breanna Smith, 18, was in the passenger seat. Katie New, 20, sat between them.

According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle lost control while going around a curve and crossed the centerline, where it collided head-on with a box truck. The crash report shows that their vehicle traveled another hundred feet after impact before coming to a stop. It spun, ended up facing the opposite direction on the shoulder of the opposite lane.

Navarro and Smith were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. New was airlifted to Grady Hospital. Her current condition is not known. 

Navarro, Smith and New were not believed to be wearing seatbelts when the collision occurred.

The driver of the box truck was not reported to have suffered any injuries.

This is an ongoing story. The News will post updates as they are made available.