On Tuesday, May 18th, UGA offensive linemen Russ Tanner and Dennis Roland were heading to South Carolina on a road trip when they were tangled up in a large, fiery car crash. Here are some excerpts from the Athens Banner Herald Article.
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A trucker was killed and five others were injured Tuesday in a fiery collision involving two tractor-trailer trucks and two pickup trucks on U.S. Highway 441 in front of the J&J Flea Market.
Scene from the Accient (click to enlarge)
Two University of Georgia football players involved in the four-vehicle collision at about 1 p.m. helped rescue three victims, including a child, from the pickup truck that struck theirs. The players also pulled to safety a man and woman from the burning cab of one of the big rigs.
Russ Tanner and Dennis Roland, both starting offensive linemen with the Georgia Bulldogs, said they were on their way to South Carolina to buy fireworks when the wreck exploded in front of their eyes.
"We were coming up north on Commerce Road (U.S. 441) following the white semi when, for no reason, this pickup truck coming the other way came into our lane and sideswiped the semi," Tanner said. "Both trucks lost control, and the pickup fishtailed around the semi and slid across the road straight at us, so I drove into the ditch to get out of the way, but it hit us anyway."
The white semi skidded across the two-lane roadway and crashed into a ditch, where it burst into flames, the football players said.
The driver of a southbound log truck slammed on the brakes to avoid the other rig, but the truck jackknifed and flipped onto its side.
"We jumped out and heard them screaming in the other pickup," Tanner said. "The lady inside handed the baby to me, and I gave it to Dennis (Roland)."
After Tanner pulled the two adults through the pickup truck's broken driver's window, Roland called 911 and both football players ran to the white semi, which had caught fire. When a man and woman came tumbling out of the cab, Tanner said, "we drug them into a ditch to get them away from the fire."
The teammates heard a horn blowing from the overturned log truck, they said, and people yelling, "Someone's still in there," but they couldn't get near the cab because it was engulfed in flames.
"You couldn't even see the truck anymore because of the fire," Tanner said.
The driver of the log truck was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Jackson County Deputy Coroner Dean Stringer, and five other people were taken to area hospitals.
Guys - pray for the families of those that survived the crash and those that didn't. Below is a picture of the wreckage. What a mess. Special thanks go out to Dennis and Russ for being exceptionally brave guys.
Link to the Full Article
Posted by Paulwesterdawg
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