Fayetteville man is dead after a head-on

collision Monday morning on Tyrone Road between a

trash truck and a van.

The

driver of the wan, 28-year-old Thomas Eugene

Ellison, Jr., was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was the only person in the van.

According

to the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, a

1985 Ford LN800 garbage truck was going

southbound between Ga. Highway 54 and Flat Creek

Trail at approximately 7:45 a.m. when the left

front tire apparently blew out.

The

driver then lost control of the truck, which

crossed into the northbound lane and struck a

1999 Chevrolet van. Both vehicles left the road

after impact and wound up near a wooded area off

the east shoulder, where the truck tipped over

and rested on top of the van.

The

garbage truck had to be removed before Fayette

County emergency personnel could use the Jaws of

Life to begin extracting the passengers, a

Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

Roy

Alvin Yeoman, 49, of Griffin was the driver of

the truck. He suffered a minor leg injury and was

transported to Fayette Community Hospital, where

he was treated and released.

passenger in the truck, Eric Crutchfield, 29, of

Atlanta, was taken to the same hospital with

minor injuries. He was also treated and released.

The

investigation is ongoing and charges are pending,

according to the Sheriff's Department.

As

is standard procedure in fatality crashes, blood

samples are being submitted to the state crime

lab for analysis, but alcohol is not suspected to

be a factor in the crash. Also, since a

commercial vehicle was involved, the Georgia

Public Service Commission inspected the garbage

truck at the scene.

As

a result of the accident and ensuing

investigation, Tyrone Road was closed between Ga.

Highway 54 and Flat Creek Trail for about 3 1/2

hours.

This

is the sixth traffic fatality this year in

unincorporated Fayette County.

<!--

-----------