VALDOSTA —
Although a juvenile received only minor injuries after being ejected from the bed of a pickup truck on Highway 41 North Wednesday afternoon, according to authorities, the accident sparked a roadside brawl.
The driver of a 1998 Nissan pickup truck said he lost focus and the truck started to drift out of its lane, according to reports from the Georgia State Patrol.
His sudden correction of the truck’s path led to the violent jarring that sent a 17-year-old passenger flying into a mailbox and crashing into the overgrown ditch next to the road, according to reports.
Scott Jenkins, a construction worker, said he watched the incident unfold as he worked nearby. He said he saw two pickup trucks, each loaded with passengers, refuel at a gas station down the road at the intersection of N. Valdosta Road and Highway 41 before the incident occurred.
“There were just too many people in the back of those trucks,” said Jenkins. “After one guy fell out, the two trucks pulled over and they all got into a fight.”
Several Ga. State Patrol troopers and Lowndes County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the incident, as did an ambulance from South Georgia Medical Center.
Authorities confirmed that the occupants of the first truck were related and said they suspected a second truck had a role in the incident. While witnesses said officers diffused the brawl between the groups with tasers and a “football tackle,” authorities from the Georgia State Patrol have not confirmed those details.
Other witnesses reported that between one and two dozen individuals were riding in the trucks and engaged in the fight, which occurred near the fire station on North 41.
Georgia State Patrol troopers did cite the driver of the '98 Nissan with several violations, according to authorities.
Earl Tod Bauknight, 37, was, charged with failure to maintain lane, according to reports. He was also charged with a driver’s license violation and a seat belt infraction, reports stated.
Georgia laws provide that adults may ride in the back of a pickup truck without safety restraints, but because the ejected passenger was a minor, authorities said Bauknight was liable for the seat belt violation.
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Paul Leavy | The Valdosta Daily Times Lowndes County Sheriff’s deputies and the Georgia State Patrol responded to a traffic incident in the 4000 block of Highway 41 North Wednesday. A person was injured after falling out the back off a pick-up truck and according to witnesses at the scene, a fight broke out between individuals in another truck and the pick-up.
Discussion
Accident leads to roadside brawl on Highway 41
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