GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Crashes caused by speeding are on the rise in Gwinnett County while DUI-related fatalities are declining in recent years, according to state data.
Friends and family of a Lawrenceville man killed by a man arrested for speeding are hoping more people slow down.
Ian Fuller, 64, died last June when Gwinnett County Police say a driver going 93 mph in a 45 mph zone crashed into him.
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Fuller was less than a half mile from home on Pleasant Hill Rd & Bob Hannah Cir, heading home to his wife when the crash killed him.
“I’m pretty angry because it didn’t have to happen,” Chad Yarborough, a longtime friend of Fuller’s, told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson.
Fuller was a beloved Atlanta playwright and father known for having a lovably quirky personality.
“He was such a unique person,” said Yarborough. “The artistic community in Atlanta also respected Ian’s work. Sometimes they didn’t understand it, but they respected it.”
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In 2017, DUI drivers caused the most traffic fatalities in Gwinnett County, according to Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety data.
In 2021, the year with the most recent data, speeding drivers were to blame for 15 deaths in the county compared to 10 DUI-related deaths.
For friends of Fuller, they’re trying to make sense of a tragedy that could have been avoided.
“Why would somebody be going so fast that night?” asked Yarborough.
Jaylynn Jones, 28, is facing first-degree vehicular homicide charges among others for the crash that killed Fuller.
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