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Name:
Byrd, Benjamin David
Date of Booking:
07/28/2025
Reason(s) For Booking:
Failure to notify owner upon striking fixture
Failure to report accident with injury/death/damage
HIT AND RUN; DUTY OF DRIVER TO STOP AT OR RETURN TO SCENE OF ACCIDENT
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
Vehicle 1 made a left turn onto Hwy 53 from the entrance of Newsome Trucking LLC, heading toward Hwy 515. Vehicle 2 was traveling on Hwy 53 toward Fairmount. Vehicle 1 (a large commercial grade dump truck) had its dump bed extended fully into the air. Power lines extend over the entrance to Newsome Trucking. The large commercial trucks entering and exiting the property do not normally contact the power lines, unless a dump bed is extended above the truck. In this incident, vehicle 1 made its left turn pulling the over head power lines along with it. The operator noticed the error and lowered the dump bed, pulling the lines down to a lower height.
Vehicle 2 traveled through the area where the line had been pulled and made contact with the line, breaking an air tank and air compressor free from the truck bed, and “sling shotting” them into the nearby grassy area. The custom made truck bed itself was damaged as well. Vehicle 2 circled back to the area of impact, noticed the now downed power line, and saw vehicle 1 leaving the scene after pulling over. Vehicle 2 called 911 to report the accident.
Statements made by the operator of vehicle 1:
Ben Byrd (vehicle 1 operator) began pulling out of Newsome Trucking and suddenly noticed his dump bed was raised. He quickly lowered the bed while continuing the left turn. After completing the turn, he pulled over to inspect if there had been any damage, an accident, or if he had cleared the line all together. Ben noticed the power line lying on Hwy 53 and immediately called his boss/dispatcher and explained the occurrence. The dispatcher told him to wait in the truck staging area (a short distance away) until law enforcement could respond.
After taking statements and information from all occupants of vehicle 2, I contacted the dispatcher and had Ben return to the area. Ben (vehicle 1) is at fault for this accident. Body camera footage was uploaded to Axon evidence for viewing.
[End of Narrative]