ROME, Ga. — Two people are dead and there were two others injured following a crash at a construction site in Floyd County on Tuesday morning. The collision involved an 18-wheeler flatbed and a bobcat.
Floyd County Police public information officer Chris Fincher said the flatbed truck was being loaded with asphalt at the top of a steep hill around 9 a.m. off Old Dalton Road near Rome. He said at some point "the brakes are suspected of failing and the truck rolled forward."
"So the truck was being loaded with asphalt it began to roll forward. At that point, it met a bobcat. The bobcat we feel, was backing down the driveway so the bucket was facing up the hill so it was moving backwards," Fincher said.
"The truck came into contact with that bobcat both of those pieces of equipment went off the hill about 50 feet down the embankment," Fincher said.
Police identified the two people deceased as Cody Hauser, 19 and John Hunter Lane, 21. They said Lane was driving the bobcat while Hauser was the person inside the bucket.
Two other people were also injured in the crash. One was airlifted to Erlanger and another transported by EMS to Atrium Health in Rome, he said.
The construction site was being operated by Kevin Gurley Incorporated (KGI) from Armuchee, Ga. According to the website, they are a site development, grading and paving company. Police said it was a driveway project along a dirt road.
Officials said the representatives from the construction company came to visit the site and spoke to authorities. OSHA is investigating the incident, police said. 11Alive has reached out to the company and OSHA for a statement.
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