A Ware County man was killed and a Ware County teenager was critically injured when two pick-up trucks collided on U.S. Highway 84 near Lairsey Crossing at about 6:50 a.m. Saturday morning, June 28.
Anthony Gerald Walker, 58, died of injuries he sustained in the wreck.
A 16-year-old male was also critically injured and was transported by Pierce County EMS to Memorial Satilla Health in Waycross. The teenager was transferred by medical helicopter to the Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah. No update on his condition was available at press time.
The head-on collision occurred near the WKUB/WSGT/WWUF Radio Station Complex about a halfmile east of the Lairsey Crossing intersection.
The accident is still under investigation, but Sergeant First Class Brandon Smith of the Waycross Post of the Georgia State Patrol (GSP) gave preliminary details on the accident.
The 16-year-old was driving a Dodge Ram pick-up truck west on U.S. Highway 84 when he alledgedly crossed the center line and struck a Ford F-150 pick up truck being driven by Walker. Walker was headed east on U.S. Highway 84.
The accident is being investigated by the GSP. Trooper Donald Bonner is in charge of the accident investigation.
Meanwhile, Walker’s family and friends are struggling to come to terms with their sudden and terrible loss.
Walker was a veteran of the U.S. Navy with 20 years of service. After serving in the military, he had been employed as an electrician with Boyette Electric in the local industrial park. Walker was on his way to work when the accident occurred.
Carl Boyette, owner of Boyette Electric, said Walker was good in every sense of the word.
“He was a good employee, a good man and most of all a good friend to me,” said Boyette.
“He was a submariner in the Navy and he applied what he learned in the service to his everyday life. He did everything the way it was supposed to be done. He followed every rule. I could count on him. We never had a cross word all the time we worked together. I will miss him very much,” Boyette said.
Walker is remembered as a dedicated family man devoted to his wife and children and as a doting Papa to his grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements for Walker are pending and will be with Miles-Odum Funeral Home of Waycross.
