2 dead following wreck in Cherokee County

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — State troopers and Cherokee County deputies are working to identify two drivers killed in a fiery crash.

The wreck happened early Saturday morning along Wade Green Road near Woodstock.

Investigators told Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach they believe a wrong-way driver is to blame.

According to witnesses, a man in a red pickup truck was driving down Wade Green and crossed over from the northbound lanes into the southbound lanes.

That’s when investigators said he hit a woman coming from Highway 92. He and the woman are dead.

Firefighters cut open the car and pickup truck to free the victims from the wreckage.

A neighbor said she heard no screeching brakes or skidding tires before the wreck.

"No somebody trying to stop, just a huge explosion," Kate Johnson told Gehlbach.

Neighbors said the truck caught on fire. Witnesses rushed to help, but couldn't get the man out.

"The flames were on one side of the truck, but the other side was clear, but by the time I got the door open, flames had just took over and we couldn't get him out. Just sad," Johnson said.

The woman driving the car was also killed instantly. Sheriff's deputies and state troopers are investigating. They think the driver of the truck was going the wrong way down Wade Green Road.

"It appears he came through this intersection and crossed over in the opening and went northbound in the southbound lane. We are talking to witnesses who saw him driving, possibly before the accident," said Lt. Jay Baker, with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office

"I think it was a wrong-way thing because there's no damage to the median. Just looks (like) they collided. Head-on for sure,” Johnson said.

Georgia State Patrol investigators are working to identify both drivers and make notifications to their families.

They say it's still too early to determine if the wrong-way driver was drunk or impaired, but it is something they're investigating.

Cox Media Group