Wrong-Way Driver Crashed Head-On Into Truck, Revived From Drug OD

COBB COUNTY, GA — After driving in the wrong direction along Veterans Memorial Highway, leading Cobb County police on a chase and crashing head-on into a pickup truck, the wrong-way driver had to be revived from an apparent drug overdose, police said.

Multiple people were injured, though an exact number is unknown. No names have been released as of Wednesday afternoon.

Around 1 p.m. Tuesday, an off-duty Cobb County Police Department officer was driving eastbound on Veterans Memorial near Floyd Road when he saw a white passenger van driving in the wrong direction toward him, Cobb police spokesperson Sgt. Wayne Delk said.

The officer turned around and alerted on-duty officers, but the driver did not stop. Delk said the driver was weaving between the edges of the roadway and up on the sidewalk. Officers attempted to spin the van out in what's called a PIT maneuver, but were unable to do so due to the size of the van.

The police chase ended near Davis Drive when the van crashed head-on into a pickup truck carrying a family, Delk said. He could not confirm how many people were in the truck or any other identifying information. No one in the truck sustained life-threatening injuries, but they were taken to a local hospital.

The driver of the van appeared to be uninjured after the crash, but was unresponsive after police took him out of the car, according to Delk. While taking him to the hospital, first responders revived him with Narcan, a drug used to counteract the effects of a drug overdose.

"It is believed that he was likely under the influence of drugs while he was driving," Delk said.

Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash.