Witness recalls Paulding County crash at Exxon | suicidal man
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The crash happened Sunday at Al’s Exxon in Paulding County on Georgia Highway 101
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Al’s Exxon gas station reopened Monday after a horrific accident. Customers were busy refueling during the 4th of July holiday. There were still reminders of the scene a day earlier in the gas station parking lot.
The gas station sign is still damaged with broken bricks lying on the ground below. There are also small piles of broken glass and spray paint on the floor since investigators recreated the crash.
“I think you know it could have been a lot worse than it was. There could have been a lot of lives that were taken in that wreckage, but again, God was there to protect us all,” said Sonya Gray.
Around 10 a.m. Sunday, a 30-year-old man apparently ran his truck off the road, according to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, before driving through the gas station sign, hitting several vehicles in the parking lot. , then to get to a rest on several vehicles next to the gas pumps.
Gray was driving to church and needed gas. She stopped at the pump, parked her car and before she could take off her seat belt, the accident happened.
“I heard a loud noise and when I turned around he was standing in the back of my car,” Gray said. “And then two seconds later I heard a gunshot.”
Gray shared a photo with 11Alive showing the truck on top of his car.
After Gray heard the shot, bystanders went to check on the truck driver. According to the sheriff’s office, he committed suicide. The man later died in hospital.
“It breaks my heart to know that he did all of this and hurt all of these other people who were involved in it,” Gray said.
The owner of Al’s Exxon told 11Alive on Monday that his security cameras captured the incident and he turned over the video to the sheriff’s office.
The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office is expected to release more information about the accident later this week.
During the incident, several people, including Gray, were injured, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.
Gray said she was waiting to find out how badly her car was damaged and went to the emergency room to be examined by doctors.
“I have tight muscles…I can barely turn my neck to the right and then I hurt my lower back, upper back. But again, thank God because those are not nothing more than tense muscles,” she said.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information about this incident to contact them on their mobile app or the inquiry line at (770) 443-3047.
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