An elderly woman, who was the passenger in a maroon SUV that may have been trying to catch up with a funeral procession, was killed in a fatal accident on Peachtree Industrial Blvd. at S. Waterworks Road in Buford Friday (Oct. 4) afternoon, according to Gwinnett Police Cpl. Jake Smith.
The driver of the maroon SUV, an elderly male, was transported to a local hospital, Smith reported.
The accident was radioed in by an off duty Gwinnett Police officer who was working an approved second job controlling traffic for a funeral procession, according to Smith. The officer stopped traffic on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard to allow the funeral procession to cross on S. Waterworks Road in Buford.
"When the last vehicle in the procession had cleared the intersection, the officer released traffic on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. A maroon SUV on S. Waterworks Road ignored a red light and attempted to cross," Smith reported. "The SUV was struck on the passenger side by a white pickup truck traveling on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard with a green light."
The driver of the pickup truck was not seriously injured, according to Smith.
It is possible the SUV was attempting to catch up to the funeral procession, but this has not been confirmed, Smith said.
Drugs and alcohol are not considered factors in the accident at this time, he said. Any charges will not be filed until the Accident Investigation Unit's investigation is complete.
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