Deputies Responding to House Fire Injured in Crash

Two deputies with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office suffered minor injuries when they were involved in a head-on collision while responding to an emergency call in Woodstock.  

At around 3:20 a.m. Saturday Nov. 16, Deputies Christopher Adam Casey and John H. Blackberry where traveling eastbound on Arnold Mill Road in a marked 2010 Crown Victoria patrol vehicle in response to a house fire call they'd just received.

Cherokee Sheriff's Office Spokesman Lt. Jay Baker said the call involved a fire in which people were reportedly stuck inside the home.

Casey, who was behind the wheel, approached a curve in the road, lost control of the vehicle, fish-tailed and crossed over into the westbound travel lane, according to a traffic crash report released by the Georgia State Patrol. 

The patrol car, which was operating in "emergency mode" with its sirens activated, collided head-on with a 2004 Nissan Titan pick-up truck driven by Christopher Michael Shaw of Woodstock, according to the report.

After hitting the Nissan, the patrol vehicle then rotated counter clockwise back into the roadway, and its right rear corner hit the left side of the Nissan just behind the driver's side door. It then came to a rest in the middle of the roadway facing east while the truck came to a stop off the roadway facing west. 

The report states Shaw then fled the scene on foot after the accident, but was later captured. He was cited for driving while his license is suspended or revoked, hit and run/leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident with injury/death/damage and possession of open container in vehicle passenger area.

The reports notes Casey was driving too fast for conditions, which included wet pavement and cloudy skies, and "failed to keep in proper lane."

Both deputies suffered non life-threatening injuries and they were transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta for treatment.

Baker said both deputes have not returned to work yet, and the patrol vehicle "received extensive damage due to the accident." 

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