Woman Charged In Fatal Crash On I-75 In Bartow County

BARTOW COUNTY, GA — The Georgia State Patrol has charged a Cedartown woman in connection to a fatal, three-vehicle crash reported late Sunday on Interstate 75 in Bartow County. Evelyn Dolores Nowell, 73, is charged with vehicular homicide in the first degree, driving under the influence and improper slowing or stopping on the roadway, the state agency said.

A preliminary investigation indicates a 2013 Chevrolet Impala was stopped in the right lane on the northbound side of Interstate 75 at the Groovers Landing overpass around 11:55 p.m. Nov. 18. The driver of the first vehicle, identified as Nowell, was "under the influence of alcohol and improperly stopped in the roadway," said Georgia State Patrol spokesperson Franka Young.

The second vehicle, a tractor-trailer, was traveling in the right lane when it swerved to the left to avoid the Chevrolet. In that maneuver, the tractor trailer hit the left side of the Chevrolet, left the east side of the roadway and struck a 2003 Honda Accord. The Honda, Young added, was parked in the east side emergency lane. The tractor trailer pushed the Honda into the guardrail, barreled through the guardrail, and the Honda came to a final rest in the right lane facing westbound. The tractor trailer came to a stop on top of the Honda.

A passenger inside the Honda, identified as Bobbie Whitman, 56, of Emerson, was pronounced dead at the scene. Its driver, 49-year-old Robert Whitman, also of Emerson, was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital where he is listed in critical condition. Another passenger of the Honda, an eight-year-old child, was not injured. Brian Walker, 32, of Jonesboro, the driver of the tractor trailer, was not injured in the collision.

Nowell was booked into the Bartow County Jail early Monday where she remains held without bond at this time. The accident remains under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team investigation. Return to Patch for updates.

Image via Bartow County Sheriff's Office