Over 250 DUI arrests reported on Memorial Day weekend in Georgia
Over 250 arrests made on Memorial Day weekend in Georgia
Over 250 people have been arrested during Memorial Day weekend in the state of Georgia. FOX 5 spoke with those who have been affected by impaired driving.
ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Public Safety released updated Memorial Day holiday enforcement numbers on Monday morning showing traffic stops, crashes and fatalities all increased overnight as troopers continued statewide patrols during the busy travel weekend.
What we know:
Officials said the statewide fatality count has now climbed to nine deaths during the 78-hour Memorial Day holiday travel period.
According to updated numbers released Monday morning, state troopers have made 259 DUI arrests statewide. Authorities have also issued 433 distracted driving citations and 504 seat belt citations.
Troopers are continuing high-visibility enforcement efforts across Georgia roadways as millions of drivers return home from holiday trips.
What they're saying:
Statewide crash numbers also increased overnight. DPS reported:
- 197 total crash reports
- 108 crash injuries
- 22 crashes involving drivers under the influence
- 8 crashes involving commercial motor vehicles
Officials continue urging drivers to slow down, avoid distractions, buckle up and never drive impaired.
As of Monday morning, DPS reported nearly 260 DUI arrests across the state, with 22 of those drivers also being involved in crashes.
Authorities previously reported six fatal crashes Sunday morning, but that number has since increased as additional crashes were investigated statewide.
One man impacted by impaired drivers is Steven Benvenisti.
He was a college senior in 1989 when a spring break trip to Florida turned into the worst trip he'd ever had.
"It was so bad that my parents were actually called in the middle of the night and asked to consent to my organ donation,"
Benvenisti's family learned he was involved in a serious crash after being hit by an impaired driver.
"My legs had been crushed below the knees. I was in the deepest possible coma that one could be in."
Waterway incidents and Lake Hartwell crash
What we know:
State game wardens also responded to several boating incidents across Georgia waterways during the Memorial Day holiday weekend as enforcement patrols continued statewide.
According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the boating activity reporting period runs from May 23 through May 25, though the latest numbers released Monday only include incidents reported through Sunday night.
On Lake Hartwell, game wardens responded to two separate incidents involving children over the holiday weekend.
In one incident Saturday afternoon, a 7-year-old girl suffered a leg injury after being thrown from a personal watercraft carrying two people. Authorities said the 18-year-old operator had not completed Georgia’s required boating education courses and the watercraft was not registered. Alcohol was not considered a factor. The operator was cited and the child was taken to a hospital in Lavonia with non-life-threatening injuries.
In another incident Sunday afternoon, wardens responded after a 6-year-old child injured her hand while getting off a beached boat near Gumlog Cove on Lake Hartwell. Authorities said another child pushed the victim from the vessel, causing her hand to become caught in the boat door. She was later transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Scottish Rite for treatment.
Meanwhile in Bryan County, game wardens investigated a boating crash Sunday afternoon on Red Bird Creek near the Waterways Community Dock. Officials said a vessel carrying four adults and two children struck another unoccupied docked boat while attempting to dock. No injuries were reported, though authorities said the collision caused more than $2,000 in property damage.