Driver Airlifted After Dump Truck Crashes into Tree Line Along Hwy 278
A dump truck driver was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital following a serious single-vehicle crash on June 17, 2025, at approximately 4:15 p.m. along Highway 278.
Engine 15 was initially dispatched to the scene, with Battalion 1, Engine 1, Covington Rescue 21, Med 3, Chief Allen, and other administrative officers also responding after updates from CAD and incoming scene information.
Responders found a heavily damaged dump truck carrying an estimated 40,000-pound load of dirt and gravel that had blown a tire and veered off the highway into a wooded area. The vehicle had knocked down a large pine tree and came to a stop after colliding head-on with another. A third tree had punctured the truck’s floor pan and trapped the driver’s leg between the tree and the dashboard.
Emergency personnel provided the driver with IV fluids and pain medication during a complex extrication effort that lasted about an hour. Once freed from the cab, the driver was transferred to EMS and the AirLife 6 flight crew. He was later found to have a fractured leg and arm, as well as signs of a developing head injury following a CT scan.
Responding crews included:
- Engine 15: Lt. Meredith Biles, FAO Aubrey Boss, FF Jordan Richards
- Engine 1: Capt. Justin Holmes, FAO Steven Middlebrook, FF Kyan Bennett
- Battalion 1: BC Clint Aaron
- Rescue 21: Ledford, Summerville, Boldin
- Battalion 2: Madsen
- Med 3: Joel Turner, Chief of EMS, Newton County Fire Services
The coordination and professionalism displayed during the incident were commended by officials on scene.
