Man injured in accident
by MCL staff writer

The truck rolled over, but the driver not ejected.

A call came into Miller County 911 that an accident with injuries had occurred on Whites Bridge Road at approximately 8:10 p.m., Thursday, March 6.

According to reports and witnesses that came upon the accident after it occurred, Thomas Lester Donalson, 58, of 2063 Colquitt Highway, Bainbridge, was found in his vehicle unconscious.

The 911 operator dispatched Miller County Sheriff Department officers, EMS Ambulance Service and Colquitt Fire and Rescue to the scene. The Georgia State Patrol officerwas called to investigate the incident.

The accident occurred as Thomas Lester Donalson was driving his 2003 Toyota Tundra west on Whites Bridge Road. He was approaching a curve, approximately 1.5 miles east of U.S. Highway 27/ GA 1. Donalson did not negotiate the curve and left the highway on the left shoulder, went down into a ditch and overturned. The vehicle's final destination was in an upright position with the driver pinned inside. The vehicle was across a fence with the rear of the truck in a field.

Since the victim was entrapped and unconscious, the protocol was to call Air-Mat, a helicopter/transport team to the scene to remove the victim. The helicopter arrived on the scene in minutes after it was called.

The Colquitt Fire and Rescue workers removed the entrapped victim from the truck with the Jaws of Life and the Miller County EMS team worked with the victim inside the ambulance until he was removed to be transported to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Tallahassee, Florida.

GSP Trooper Charles Hall (209) was the investigating officer.

The Georgia State Patrol accident report was not available at the time that this incident went to press, so the officialcause and other factors or possible citations were not available.

Those officerspresent stated that it was obvious that the driver lost control and may have been driving too fast for conditions when he was going around the curve in the highway. The report of possible D.U.I. has not been returned from the crime lab to determine if alcohol was one of the contributing factors causing the accident. It is not known if the victim was wearing safety equipment

The driver and only occupant in the truck received head and neck injuries and is still hospitalized.

The vehicle received extensive damage.