UGA student killed, two cyclists hurt in Athens DUI crash
ATHENS, Ga. - A University of Georgia student was killed and two cyclists injured after they were struck Monday evening by a driver under the influence of drugs in Athens-Clarke County.
Ashley Block, 25, a graduate assistant at UGA, was killed during the Monday night bike ride on South Milledge Avenue. Police said the car hit her head-on, throwing her near a roadside ditch. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Roger Molly, owner of Hub Bicycle, the company that organized the group bike ride, was also injured in the crash. She was struck by the mirror of the vehicle, which injured her left arm. She was taken to a local hospital and has since been released.
A third cyclist, Mitchell Enfinger, was hit and thrown to the shoulder of the roadway. She was transported to Athens Regional Medical Center, where she is listed in serious condition, according to Athens-Clarke Co. Police.
Authorities say the cyclists were riding in single file along the fog line on Athena Drive when an SUV traveling in the opposite direction crossed over the road and struck the three cyclists.
Police say the driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Whitney Baker Howard, told officers she was looking at her cellphone before the accident and indicated that she had used drugs. Police said there was also a toddler-aged child inside the truck.
Howard was arrested and charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle, serious injury by vehicle, driving under the influence of drugs, failure to maintain lane and improper use of a mobile phone while driving.