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Authorities said Friday it could be weeks before the three people killed in a fiery morning traffic accident are officially identified.
Richmond County Coroner Grover Tuten said the bodies were so badly burned that DNA testing will be needed to identify them.
The accident happened shortly after 11 a.m. in the 3800 block of Mike Padgett Highway.
Sheriff's Maj. Richard Weaver said a 2001 Dodge Stratus and a dump truck were traveling north when the driver of the car apparently lost control and veered into the other lane. The Stratus was hit by the dump truck, then slid into the southbound lanes, where it was broadsided by a tanker truck owned by Howard Sheppard Inc.
"We think a tire may have blown or something," Maj. Weaver said.
One body was found in the front seat of the car, and another, thought to be a child, was found in the back seat, Mr. Tuten said. Authorities said they were uncertain whether the body found in the road was in one of the vehicles.
A witness said the crash was loud and dramatic.
"I looked up and there was a truck going down the road on fire," said Donald Toole, of Sylvania.
He said he was returning home from Augusta after heart surgery when his wife said, "Oh, my God."
Mr. Toole said he heard a boom, looked up and saw the burning truck.
He said they pulled off the road and he went over to check on the body in the street, but he was too late to help.
The tanker was full, carrying a mild bleach used to dye chalk. The truck driver wasn't injured.
Tender Sprout Christian Learning Center, a nearby day-care center, was temporarily evacuated to a neighboring business.
Deputies closed part of Mike Padgett Highway while emergency crews worked the scene of the accident. Traffic had to be diverted around the area.
Authorities don't expect to file any charges because the driver of the vehicle responsible for the wreck was killed.
Staff writer Adam Folk contributed to this story.
THE CHRONICLE BROKE THE NEWS OF THE TANKER CRASH, POSTING IT ONLINE AT 11:34 A.M. FRIDAY.
Reach Greg Gelpi at (706) 828-3851 or greg.gelpi@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Hwy 56 is a breeding ground for accident. Prayers to all involved in this tragedy yesterday.
My prayers to all!
Hwy 56 is such a dangerous road it scares me. my prayers go out to everyone involved and there family.
The highway isn't dangerous, it's the drivers who are the problem. The roadway is wide and generally clear but when people act as if they are in a NASCAR event, things happen. It's entirely possible though that just maybe a tire DID blow and threw the car into the path of the dump truck but chances are no one will ever know for sure. Pray for the families of those killed in this wreck. As far as the Chronicle "news-vulturing", isn't the job of the newspaper to present the news however awful? Certainly three people who were killed in an accident is newsworthy; the circumstances are newsworthy and if that poster had happened on the scene I can almost guarantee that the first question out of his/her mouth would have been "what happened"? Terrible tragedy for those involved and those who witnessed this horrific deadly event. If there is a moral to this story it is to always be ready - we never know when our tour of the earth will come to a close and under what circumstances.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families involved in this horrible accident.
I don't know the circumstances surrounding this accident or whether speed was a factor on any one's part but Hwy 56 is a extremely dangerous road!!! I live in Goshen and I am terrified to travel it. In the last 10 yrs I have seen my share of accidents and deaths. I will go out of my way to avoid having to drive on it, especially since I have a 2 yr old with me. Drivers act like it is a race track and speed is not a concern. My husband and I call it Daytona 56! Why won't the hwy patrol, the county, or SOMEONE, anyone, monitor this road? How many more people will have to die before it will be done? The county knows that this is an issue....DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!! Truckers.....SLOW DOWN!!! If you drive this road...please be careful and watch your speed. The next ives lost could be you or your family members!
Another problem is they have taken all the cut throughs out. More traffic forced onto an already busy road is not the answer. Open back up some of the ways to get from 56 to the 56 spur and alleviate some of the traffic. I stay off of 56 if I have to but there are very few ways to avoid it if you work past Goshen.
My heart goes out to the families of these three people,,,,And i will be praying for them.....We are not promised tomorrow...So everyone Dont throw stones..Just pray and drive safe...
fd, so now you're whining at the AC for reporting a fatal crash? What's next? A rant against those morbid obits???
It's not just speeders.....there is always debris from something or another. Lot of trash from Federal Paper Board. I have several dents, dings in the body, cracks on my windshield, and plugged tires to show for it. There still isn't a suicide lane and wind gusts that threaten to blow you off the road are a constant threat. If it rains you might as well stay in the left lane if you don't want to end up all over the road. My condolence to the family during this difficult time.
vULTURING? how crazy is that statement. The Chronicle is our mouthpiece, withouth them, we wouldn't know nothin .... Keep doing good work Augusta Chronicle. Your work is appreciate by most of us, at least those who choose to be INFORMED, about everything, including fatal wrecks that could affect our community, neighborhood, work routes, child-care, etc.
My heart goes out to the family and friends.
We dont know exactly what happened, and we do care when a life is lost; I probablty have never met them, but I do care.
All roads are dangerous. It just so happens that there has been a lot of accidents on 56. It is in the plans for the DOT to work on it; actually putting in a raised concrete median along part of the way. As far as speed; Trucks - and cars - do tend to go fast on 56 - and other roads.... I (yes I) sometimes tend to go faster than the posted limits - but I'm passed frequently. When WE start being less impatient and drive slower / more carefully, then accidents will be reduced!
I do not expect anyone of yall to understand Hwy 56 unless someone you knew or loved died there but I do I lost my brother on that road he was on his way home and to kids playing and racing lost control and he died 10 days later at MCG and what did the boy get 3 years for a lost life .
Dkimble365. As a therapist you should know that it is not appropriate to release the names of the deceased before all next of kin have been notified and the authorities have confirmed their identities and released the information. Please at least delete the names of the alleged deceased from your posts in respect for the proper procedures and the deceased. Thank you.
No one seems concerned about the dump truck driver who was involved in the deadly hwy 56 accident on Friday. Luckily he went to the hospital to be checked out physically. It was suggested to him to see a grief counselor as he was shaken up terribly about the three deaths. Though he did try to reach the people in the car, he felt helpless as he watched it ignite and bur. Thoughts and prayers are entended to the family who lost three loved ones, ahd also to the truck driver and the driver of the tanker.
i must say i had the slightest idea of how dangerous this road was because i never lived there, but i know now cause we lost shuan,trina and cordez! i love you all .rek
I just want to say thank you for everyone concerns. I lost 3 good people in this world and in my life. I will always think bout my auntie shaun, and my two cousins trina and kurdez!!! I love yall and thanks AUGUSTA!!!
To whom it may concern in the above postings. Please stop naming the alleged victims. The authorities have not positively identified the remains nor released the names to the public. Please respect the families (especially if you are family in some cases) by deleting your posts containing the names until the confirmed information on each person's identity has been made public or at least change the posts to convey your feelings yet not include the names of the alleged deceased. That would be a very considerate thing to do until the identities are positively identified and the information released to the public. Thank you so much.
Who are you to tell these people how to grieve. Just because you do not know , or that it has not been put in the paper, does not mean that the family are not certain who they are. She named one as her Aunt and two as her cousins. Maybe you are the one that need to stay out of these people business. They do not have to wait until the public thirst is satisfied, to start their grieving.
HYPOCRITES2008. In answer to your rude question: I am someone who cares. It is the policy of the media not to report the names of the victims until the coroner confirms their identity and they are released to the public, this column is part of the media. Check your facts before you go spouting off. One of the TV stations had to remove the names some poster put on there for the same reason. So has this paper. I am just letting the posters know why their posts are being deleted so that they don't make the same mistake again. I am not telling anyone how to grieve. No one is THIRSTING to hear the names of the victims. And the family may be fairly certain they know who was in that car, but it MUST be confirmed before the names are released to the public. It's not that complicated HYPOCRITES2008.
TO baroness The alleged victims are indeed my family members and I am only just trying to thank Augusta for their prayers and concerns that they have displayed. I would not have posted anything unless we knew who they were. just because they havent released them to the public doesnt mean that the family doesnt know who they are already. or would you just like to hear it from the coroner's own mouth??? I also want to say that my prayers go out to the others involved. Thank you again!!! To HYPOCRITE2008 and baroness Please do not pass words when this is a time to come together. We should think about ways to prevent things like this from happening again. Pass words to the board on ways to better the roads in Augusta
The three victims of Friday's fiery accident on Mike Padgett Highway have been identified.
Richmond County Coroner Grover Tuten said Delandra Lewis, 32, was driving the vehicle. Her 15-year-old daughter, Kurtrina Bell, was in the back seat, and her 14-year-old son, Kurdez Oliphant, was ejected from the front passenger seat.
Their vehicle veered into another lane and struck a dump truck while heading north, law enforcement said. It was then broadsided by a tanker truck traveling south.
From the Thursday
No one has mentioned this but we all need to pray for the the families 6 year old child who is without a mother, brother and sister!!..We love you Rashawnna
RIPtomylovedones, I have said nothing against you. I am not passing words with HYPOCRITES2008 and the others who tend to bully. I am not, nor I have ever allowed myself to be, a victim. There is no excuse for them to bully anyone. You must have been reading my mind as far as what the priorities are, if you will read my final posts on the other thread about this tragic loss, you will see that it seems you and I have some goals in common. BTW The AC says her name is Delandra, I thought her name is spelled Delandria. Do you happen to know which is the correct spelling?
Its Delandria
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