A construction worker from Pickens County is recovering after he drove off a back road south of Ellijay that was completely washed out. He blames Gilmer County officials for not alerting drivers of the “danger” ahead.
On the night of March 27, Gregory Crook, a father of two, was following his GPS down Ravencliff Road when all of a sudden, it disappeared and he crashed into a rocky creek below. That’s according to a story by FOX 5.
It reported that Crook was badly injured and his car was smashed. He said the concrete barriers and signs there now to warn drivers of the sharp drop-off ahead, weren’t there the night of his crash.
The Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office posted on their Facebook page March 28 that the lower end of Ravencliff was closed due to multiple washouts over the last few months. They urged people not to remove the barricades and requested respect for the closure to keep everyone safe.
Gilmer County Road Department Director Ryan Steingruber stated to the Times-Courier that when the road washed out again recently, crews responded by installing barrels, barriers, caution tape and temporary road signs alerting drivers of the closure.
This was completed quickly as the road department addressed other emergencies. Once those were handled, he said they planned to return to Ravencliff to install more blockade measures.
“In between my people completing repairs to other damaged roads in the county and getting back to Ravencliff, the safety equipment we installed had been stolen from the scene,” he explained. “We were not made aware of this issue until the unfortunate incident had taken place.”
Once they found out the equipment had been stolen, they filed a police report and reinstalled safety measures, including concrete bunker blocks. However, Steingruber said their traffic cones have already been removed from both sides of the washout.
“We are actively making plans to repair the damaged section of the road and would like to thank our Gilmer County citizens in advance for their patience,” he added.
GCSO said at least three crashes have happened at the same spot on Ravencliff since January. If drivers need access, they have to use the north end of the road instead.
On Monday, April 7, deputies issued an alert for additional, numerous flooded or washed out roads across the county due to recent storms.
“Anytime a driver encounters a road that has water going across it, don’t drive through it, because you can’t see if the roadway has been washed out,” GCSO Captain Frank Copeland said. “Driving onto asphalt that’s been undermined by water can result in a crash as well … It’s just not safe to drive across until it’s checked and made sure to be sound.”
Roads affected are Talona, Waters at Turniptown, Gunstock Creek at the first entrance, Rock Creek under the bridge, Legion and Pen.