Pregnant Lavonia woman killed in one-vehicle crash in Athens
Alana Elise Barnes, 27, who was 15 weeks pregnant, died along with her child, police said.
Barnes also had four young children, according to her father, Alton Barnes of Monroe.
The driver, Clinton Jester, 37, suffered superficial injuries to his face, but was released following treatment at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center.
The wreck occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. near the Nowhere Road intersection, when the 2007 Chevrolet Trail Blazer traveling north ran a red light at the traffic signal at Hull Road.
Police said the SUV went off the roadway and traveled about 150 feet until it hit a tree on the front passenger side, then rotated clockwise and came to rest about 40 feet past the tree, police said.
Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center opened one of Georgiaâs first infusion centers to treat high-risk patients diagnosed with COVID-19, according to a press release.Â
At this center, the treatment patients receive is Bamlanivimab. According to the release, this antibody treatment is designed for patients who do not require hospitalization and oxygen therapy but are at a high-risk for potential complications from the coronavirus.Â
âThis is a huge game changer for individuals in our community who are at high risk for COVID complications,â Chief Executive Officer of Piedmont Athens Regional Michael Burnett said in the release. âWeâre so pleased that we can provide this treatment for patients in need and help them avoid hospitalization and further COVID complications.â
COVID-19 cases in Athens-Clarke County have been on an upward slope since Dec. 28, 2020, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The county saw a 55% increase in cases reported between the last week of December and cases reported last week.
There was a slight dip in daily cases reported in the days following the end of the University of Georgiaâs final exams.
Facing the risks
On Jan. 8, as many students prepared to return to campus for in-person learning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study about the risks of in-person learning at large universities for students and the community.
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The Georgia State Patrol says a Gillsville man was distracted when the tanker truck he was driving went out of control and overturned on Ga. 15/U.S. 441 near Homer just before 8:30 p.m. on Christmas, spilling 4,000 gallons of gasoline.
The driver of a gasoline tanker that crashed on U.S. 441/Ga. 15 in Banks County on Christmas was distracted at the time, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Walter Catledge, 55, of Gillsville was driving a 2019 Kenworth semi truck northbound on Ga. 15/U.S. 441 when the driver failed to maintain his lane and traveled off the roadway, said Cpl. B.D. Taylor of Georgia State Patrol Post 6 in Gainesville. “The vehicle overturned, losing its cargo. The report does advise that the driver was distracted at the time of the crash.”
The first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Athens on Friday and by Monday, health care workers were still administering the vaccines to employees in Athens two major hospitals.
“We are starting our vaccines this afternoon. We are expecting the shipment to arrive any minute now,” St. Mary’s Hospital spokesman Mark Ralston said about noon Monday. “We are getting a limited supply, so initially, it will be those top-priority folks who are the front-line clinicians and see the largest number of COVID-19 patients.
Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center has received nearly 500 vaccines, which are being used for personnel who have direct or indirect contact with COVID-19 patients, according to the hospital