GILMER COUNTY, Ga. — A Pickens County man was injured when he drove off a road at night in Gilmer County that had completely washed out and wants to know why the county didn’t have it blocked off.
It was dark when Gregory Crook followed his GPS down a remote Gilmer County road.
Before he knew it, Raven Cliff Road disappeared, he crashed, and was knocked unconscious.
“I was already in the air. It was wild, you know. It was a shock,” Crook told Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco.
He came to in his crashed SUV in the middle of the washed out road.
“I could have died. I got out and I’m feeling like I’m dead. I’ve got blood all over me. I feel like my skull is showing,” he said.
With cuts and bruises all over his body, he had to walk nearly a mile to a stranger’s home for help. His phone was broken in the crash.
He’s been recovering for a week and now wants answers from officials.
“There was no road signs, no barrier, there was nothing on this road,” he said.
The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office said at least three drivers have crashed at the same spot since January.
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“This shouldn’t have happened at all to anyone,” Crook said.
Deputies said they’ve heard that vandals were tearing down cones and barrels placed across the road by county workers.
After his crash, Crook saw that workers installed large concrete barriers and warning signs to block Raven Cliff Road.
“They should have done that a long time ago. The road department, the sheriff’s office, they all knew about it,” Crook said.
He has not been able to go back to his construction job yet and he does not have a car now. But he said speaking up may have saved the next driver’s life.
“I could have been dead. It could have been somebody’s wife. It could have been somebody’s kids,” Crook said. “I have two children myself and they could have been without a father.”
Channel 2 Action News contacted Gilmer County to find out when the road will be repaired. We are waiting for a response.
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