COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Court testimony on Friday revealed that a Georgia State Patrol trooper almost died in the same crash that killed a tow truck driver on I-85 last month.
Channel 2′s Tom Jones was in a Coweta County courtroom when the driver, 32-year-old Christopher Thornton, appeared before a judge in an attempt to get a bond set.
Toby Bowden, 49, was on the scene of a crash on I-85 last month working to clear it when a driver going too fast crashed into him. Bowden died from his injuries.
Thornton’s attorney argued that he had just gotten off after working 12-hour shifts for three weeks in a row and was exhausted. Prosecutors say he smelled like marijuana at the scene of the crash.
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The victim’s brother asked the court to keep him behind bars.
“I mean, I would request you deny bond,” Wilson Fuller told the judge.
Fuller told the judge he did not want to see the man responsible for his brother’s death released.
“People have lost family members, but ours is never coming home. He will go home one day,” Fuller said.
A trooper testified that deputies, fire trucks and Bowden were at the scene of the crash when Thornton came speeding through.
“He then swerved to the left went across all lanes into the median and that is when he struck Mr. Bowden,” Trooper Ross Buchanan testified.
Buchanan said a deputy’s body camera shows her diving out of the way. He says that deputy was nearly killed as well.
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Thornton’s attorney says he wasn’t impaired at the time of the crash, just exhausted.
“He simply was exhausted and misjudged the entire scene,” Jackie Patterson said.
Thornton’s mother extended her condolences to Bowden’s family, but says it was all an accident.
“My heart goes out to the Bowden family. This was a tragedy and I am hurt over this,” Maleesa Hurston.
The judge denied bond after learning Thornton was previously charged with failure to appear twice.
“This is a felony vehicular homicide, so it’s no doubt he will show up,” Patterson said.
Prosecutors say there was a line of traffic that was able to slow down because of the earlier crash and only Thornton couldn’t see what was going on.
Bowden was supposed to get married this September.
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