A green Ford Escape ran the wrong way down Highway 17 late Friday. It was about 11:45 p.m. near Old Highway 17 in Franklin County. The driver headed south in the northbound lanes.
Isaac McCraw drove a red Mazda 3 the other way. He was 19 and from Demorest. His car stayed in the left northbound lane. The Ford hit him straight on.
Flames broke out on the Ford Escape after the impact. Both drivers died right there on the road. Georgia State Patrol troopers worked the scene.
McCraw’s passenger, Noel Adrian Hutchings, 18, of Cleveland, lived through it. He suffered serious injuries. An ambulance rushed him to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.
Officials held back the name of the Ford driver. Family members already know. The probe into what happened continues.
This part of Franklin County lies near the state line with South Carolina. Highway 17 runs past places like Hartwell and Lavonia. One wrong-way move ended two lives in a hurry.
The fire and the force of the crash left little hope for the drivers. Hutchings remains the only one who made it to the hospital.
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