Newton Citizen

Photo by Corinne Nicholson

COVINGTON -- A mother and son died in a Thanksgiving eve crash Wednesday in Jasper County, according to the Georgia State Patrol.

Alice Goolsby, 39, of Covington and her son, Nigel Griffith, a 13-year-old Cousins Middle School student, were killed and two Jasper County teens were hospitalized as a result of the crash that occurred about 6:50 p.m. at the intersection of Post Road and Bar Bridge Road.

"A 1990 Jeep Cherokee being driven by a 16-year-old female from Monticello was traveling south on Bar Bridge Road and was unable to stop for the stop sign at Post Road," said GSP spokesman Gordy Wright. "The Jeep struck a 1989 Pontiac 6000, driven by Goolsby, that was traveling westbound on Post Road, in the passenger side, causing both vehicles to overturn and come to rest upside down."

The 16-year-old driver of the Jeep and her 15-year-old passenger were transported to Walton Medical Center for treatment of their injuries.

Wright said charges were likely to be filed against the juvenile driver of the Jeep. GSP's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating the crash, including the possibility that texting may have figured into the cause.

"The texting issue will be something the SCRT investigators will be checking when they conduct their follow-up interviews," Wright said. "Right now they can't say one way or the other."

Many Cousins Middle School students were distressed to hear news of their classmate's death.

"We had a crisis team at the school today to meet with any students or staff having difficulties," said Newton County School System Public Relations Director Sherri Davis-Viniard Monday. "There were several students who were upset this morning, and we will have the counselors available to meet with them as needed."

The Jasper County fatal crash was the second of the Thanksgiving holiday period for the state, which saw 11 traffic fatalities. Troopers investigated 520 crashes statewide with 231 injuries and six of the 11 fatalities. Others included double fatalities in both Dublin and Cherokee County with single fatalities in Macon, Atlanta, Coweta County, Carroll County and Worth County.