In late December of 2009, a Lawrenceville woman by the name of Joy Christine Wilson made headlines after allegedly striking a small passenger bus on I-85. The accident resulted in a dozen injuries requiring hospitalization, and three other accident victims were listed in critical condition with life threatening injuries. In fact, two of the bus passengers were ejected from the vehicle. Following the accident, Wilson was arrested and charged with Felony Hit and Run and DUI charges. Witnesses claimed that they had seen the vehicle being driven recklessly just before the accident occurred. When the Honda that Wilson was driving struck the back of the bus, the bus driver lost control, veering across several lanes of traffic and skidding along a guardrail before coming to a stop.
The accident infuriated Gwinnett County residents, not only because the bus was transporting a group of developmentally disabled adults to an art class when the accident occurred, but because it was reported that Wilson fled the scene after only stopping briefly after the accident. Some of that outrage may have been mitigated when the courts decided not to release Wilson on bond and to impound her car. Just rcently, Wilson was finally indicted on charges for her role in the accident.
Wilson will face nine counts of serious injury by vehicle, two counts of driving under the influence, three counts of hit and run, and one count of reckless driving. Altogether, that is fifteen counts against Wilson. There hasn’t been any word yet about whether Wilson will be offered a plea, or if the case will proceed to trial. Either way, this tragedy reminds us how a single person’s actions on the road can affect many.
