Soddy Daisy Teen Dies In Crash On I-75 In North Georgia

  • Friday, May 22, 2020

A Soddy Daisy teen has died from injuries received in a wreck late Monday night.

Bailey Smith, 17, was one of five teens in the vehicle taken to a Chattanooga hospital after the wreck on I-75 north of Dalton.

The Georgia State Patrol said at approximately 10:45 p.m., a 2002 Ford Explorer being driven by a 17-year-old from Dalton was traveling north on I-75 at mile marker 351 in the left lane. The Ford Explorer traveled too fast for conditions and failed to maintain its lane of travel.

The vehicle began to rotate counter-clockwise and traveled off the west shoulder of the roadway. The Ford Explorer struck a guardrail with its front right. It then traveled through the guardrail and down an embankment as it began to overturn. The vehicle came to a final rest at the bottom of the embankment on its top facing south.

As the Ford Explorer overturned the driver, the front right passenger Ms. Smith, and the left rear passenger Justin Jeffery, 17 of Dalton, were ejected.

The right rear passenger Zackary Rich, 18, of Dalton and rear middle passenger, a 16-year-old from Dalton, were not ejected.

None of the occupants were restrained in the vehicle.

The Georgia State Patrol said the crash was an ongoing investigation by the GSP Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT).

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