A Morgan County man has been charged with second-degree vehicular homicide for the death of a University of Georgia student who died in a crash on Nov. 29.
Jackson Alan Dodgen, 19, a sophomore from Brunswick, died from injuries sustained in the accident. According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Dodgen was returning to Athens after visiting family for the Thanksgiving break. On Dec. 11, Joshua Dawayne Herrington, 36, of Madison, was charged with failure to maintain lane in addition to the vehicular homicide charge. He was taken into custody but released the following day.
According to a report obtained from the Georgia State Patrol, Herrington was traveling south on U.S. Highway 441 in a Ford F-150 between Watkinsville and Bishop while Dodgen was heading in the opposite direction.
Herrington crossed the double yellow lines into the northbound lanes and struck Dodgen's Honda Accord's front driver’s side. Herrington’s truck overturned and stopped in the middle of both travel lanes. Dodgen’s Honda rotated counterclockwise and came to rest facing south on Highway 441.
According to the report, Herrington sustained significant injuries in the crash.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, Dodgen was a pre-med major at UGA and also worked as a tour guide at the UGA Visitor’s Center.