Driver Charged After Motorcyclist Dies From Injuries In Crash

WOODSTOCK, GA — The driver of an SUV has been charged following the death of a motorcyclist from injuries sustained in an accident in Cherokee County.

William Bartula, 66, has been charged with vehicular homicide in the second degree and failure to yield left turn two weeks after the collision near Woodstock, Cherokee Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jay Baker said.

Deputies with the sheriff's office were dispatched around 6 a.m. Aug. 15 to an accident on East Cherokee Drive at Tomahawk Trail. An SUV driven by Bartula was traveling westbound and tried to turn into a convenience store parking lot when it struck a motorcycle traveling eastbound.

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The motorcyclist, identified as 48-year-old William Lunsford, was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital with serious injuries. Baker said Lunsford died from his injuries late Tuesday.

Bartula, who was not injured in the collision, turned himself in and was released from the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center on a $2,211 bond.

Photo: William Bartula. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office