A 40-year-old Gainesville man was charged early Saturday after, according to the sheriff’s office, he drove around a construction pace vehicle on Dawsonville Highway and crashed in the construction zone, disabling his car. The incident occurred just after 3:30 in the westbound lanes of Dawsonville Highway at Manor Ridge.
“At the time, construction was underway and only one westbound lane of traffic was open,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman B.J. Williams said Tuesday. “Drivers were being escorted through the area by a pace vehicle; flaggers were also on scene directing traffic.”
According to the investigation conducted by sheriff’s deputies, Charles Autry disregarded the pace vehicle and flaggers and drove around the pace vehicle at an accelerated speed. “He drove onto a section of roadway that was about one foot deep and 100 feet long,” Williams said. “As a result, the undercarriage of Autry’s 2026 Acura Integra was damaged; all four tires and rims on the vehicle sustained damage as well, making the vehicle inoperable.”
Autry complained of injuries to his back, neck and legs, so he was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center for assessment.
Deputies cited Autry for driving too fast for conditions and disobeying traffic control devices.