Dorothy Yates Killed in 18-Wheeler Hit-and-Run on Mount Pisgah Road in Catoosa County, GA
Catoosa County, GA — June 5, 2022, Dorothy Yates was killed in a hit-and-run crash with a commercial truck on Mount Pisgah Road in Catoosa County.
According to reports the incident happened shortly before 3:20 p.m. along Mount Pisgah near Trinity Lane. Preliminary investigation suggests a white commercial truck with a spreader bed crashed into Yates' Ford Taurus in the area. The impact pushed the Ford off the road into a nearby ditch and the big rig left the scene without stopping.
Yates suffered critical injuries in the collision. She was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later.
Authorities are still searching for the hit-and-run truck and its driver.
No further information is currently available.
Commentary on Dorothy Yates Hit-and-Run in Catoosa County
People often feel that hit-and-runs are difficult or almost impossible to solve. I encourage people of that mindset not to lose hope; even months after a crash, someone may connect the dots and come forward to help.
In a recent case a family came to us after their loved one was killed by an 18-wheeler. The trucker fled the scene and authorities couldn't find enough information to identify the truck or a suspect. To help out we kept circulating the details through the blog, and a couple eventually contacted us saying they witnessed the crash first-hand.
It turns out they saw what happened, followed the truck, wrote down its company information and license plate, and only stopped because the trucker tried to run them off the road. They went to the police with what they had but somehow the information got misplaced and no one ever followed up.
When it became clear that police weren't taking action the couple contacted us. Thanks to their efforts the runaway truck driver--who it turned out was intoxicated at the time and didn't want anyone to find out--answered for his actions. Moreover, his employer was held properly accountable for the damage he caused and the victim's family got some much-needed help getting back on their feet.
It's possible that similar efforts in Catoosa County could get results as long as any new developments reach the public. If someone recognizes a description of the truck, was in the area at the time, or even just saw a damaged truck nearby afterward, they could still come forward. Investigators can then find out more about what caused the crash and who's responsible. I'm sure they're doing their best to resolve this, but maybe independent efforts would also help move things forward.
