GSP: SUV driver charged with DUI after crashing into church van

The wrecked church van sits in the median of GA 365 after the accident at the intersection of Demorest-Mt. Airy Hwy. on June 29, 2024.Photo byJerry Neace/NowHabersham.com

The Georgia State Patrol has charged a Hartwell man with DUI following Saturday’s crash involving a church van on GA 365 in Demorest. The wreck injured multiple members of a local church youth group, including a 15-year-old boy who was airlifted to Egleston Hospital in Atlanta. At last report, he was on life support, says State Patrol spokesperson TFC2 Joshua Staff.

According to Staff, 64-year-old Barry Clark was found to be DUI following the wreck at the intersection of GA 365 South and Demorest-Mt. Airy Highway. Online records from the Haberham County Detention Center show Clark was arrested and also charged with failure to obey signs or control devices and serious injury by vehicle.

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State troopers say Barry Clark of Hartwell was driving this Toyota 4Runner when he ran the red light at the intersection.Photo byRob Moore/Haberham County

The State Patrol’s preliminary crash investigation revealed Clark was driving a Toyota 4Runner east on Demorest-Mt. Airy Highway. State troopers say he ran the red light at the intersection and struck the southbound Ford Econoline van carrying a group from River Point Community Church.

The wreck injured five of the seven teenagers onboard the van, including the teen who was airlifted. Habersham EMS transported three others to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville with serious injuries.

Clark was taken to the hospital with complaints of injury, and several other members of the youth group were taken by private vehicle to area hospitals.

The driver of the church van, Frank Ciresi, 29, of Mount Berry, and an adult passenger in the van were not injured.

Authorities are not releasing the injured teen’s names because they are juveniles.

Several people stand in the southbound lanes of GA 365 after the accident.Photo byJerry Neace/NowHabersham.com

The wreck shutdown the southbound lanes of GA 365 South in Demorest for more than 2 hours.Photo byJerry Neace/NowHabersham.com

Emergency vehicles block the southbound lanes of GA 365 at Demorest-Mt. Airy Highway while responding to the crash. The highway was closed for more than 2 hours following the accident. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)

Callers reported the collision to Habersham County E-911 around 1:39 p.m. on June 29. The crash shut down the southbound lanes of GA 365 near the intersection. The road remained closed for several hours as authorities investigated the crash.

Church members tell Now Habersham the group had been working on a mission project and was headed to the Chattahoochee River to go tubing when the accident occurred.

The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is assisting Post 7 in Toccoa with the crash investigation.

As of early Sunday, June 30, Clark remained in the Habersham County Detention Center.