HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County police officer is accused of causing a deadly crash that killed a man while he was driving and looking at his computer at the same time.
The accident happened in the intersection of J.White and McEver Road early Friday morning.
Gwinnett County Police Officer Michael Brady admitted to police that he was looking at his computer when he crashed.
Channel 2′s Matt Johnson was at the Gwinnett County Police Department where he learned Brady was responding to an emergency when the accident happened around 5:45 a.m.
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Brady was on his way to work at the county’s police department when troopers say he didn’t see the moped rider right in front of him.
State laws that protect police officers on duty only go so far.
Troopers say Brady knocked Dwayne Claffey off his moped near McEver Road in Hall County by rear-ending him.
According to family members, Claffey had just turned 34 and was on his way to work on the day of the crash.
“The officer was on his way to work in uniform but was not responding to a call. He was just on his way to shift change,” Georgia State Patrol Sgt. C.E. Parker said.
According to the crash report, Brady admitted to looking at his computer inside his patrol car at the time of the crash.
Georgia police officers are mostly exempt from distracted driving laws while on duty but can still be charged with crimes.
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“That does not absolve us from the responsibility to drive responsibly,” Parker said.
Claffey was just one mile from home when the crash happened.
“Just hope people will slow down and pay more attention in this area,” neighbor Roger Pendley said. “Prayers for his family.”
Neighbors along McEver Road say they’ve seen small crashes and have been in some crashes themselves — but Friday’s crash is a first.
“(I’m) surprised because that’s the first time we’ve already anybody was serious injury or death occurring there,” Pendley said.
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Officer Brady is out on bond from the Hall County jail and remains on administrative duty with the Gwinnett County Police department.
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