Deadly Labor Day Weekend: 16 Fatalities on Georgia's Roads

Three people were killed, and three others injures in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 301 north of Claxton, Georgia, on Saturday, August 31.Photo byEvans County Fire Rescue/Facebook

The long Labor Day weekend continues to take a deadly toll on Georgia’s roads, with at least 16 traffic fatalities reported across the state.

Two Northeast Georgians are among the fatalities, according to Georgia State Patrol Post 52 in Hartwell. They were killed in a head-on collision on Highway 17 in Franklin County on August 31. Troopers say 36-year-old Lisa Carey of Royston and 51-year-old Jeffrey Wayne Burns of Lavonia both died at the scene.

Triple-fatal near Claxton

Three deaths in Evans County were among Georgia’s first traffic-related fatalities reported over the long holiday weekend. The head-on collision happened on U.S. Highway 301 north of Claxton on Saturday afternoon, August 31, according to the Statesboro Herald.

Three people were killed and three others injured in a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 301 north of Claxton, Georgia, on Saturday, August 31. (Credit: News Now Georgia)

The wreck involved an SUV and a large van.

In addition to the three who died, the Herald reports that two people were flown from the scene by helicopter to a Savannah trauma center, and a sixth person was taken by ambulance to East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, since the long holiday weekend began Friday evening, fatal accidents have been reported in Evans County (3), Putnam County, Richmond County, Valdosta (2), Hartwell (2), Thomasville, Lafayette, Tifton, Brunswick, Dunwoody, Pike County, and Bibb County.

High-visibility patrols

The 78-hour Labor Day holiday travel period began at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 30, and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 2.

According to the state public safety commissioner, GSP, the Motor Carrier Compliance Division, and local law enforcement will remain on high-visibility patrols throughout the weekend.

Last year, 26 people died in Georgia traffic accidents over the Labor Day holiday.