WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. — One man was convicted of manslaughter on Friday after causing a hit-and-run that resulted in another's death, according to a news release from the District Attorney of the Conasauga Judicial Court.
Mitchell Dion Morgan, 58, was found guilty of the death of Albert Moore. The 29-year-old crashed into Morgan's work van, which he left while fleeing another wreck, according to the release.
In the early morning of June 26, 2020, Moore was driving from Florida to Michigan when he crashed into a ServPro van sitting in the middle of Interstate 75 and suffered "significant blunt force trauma from the impact." in Whitfield County, just north of Gordon County.
Moore was airlifted to a Chattanooga hospital, where he was pronounced brain-dead and taken off life support, according to the release. Investigators determined that Moore wasn’t responsible for the crash. Instead, they believed the man who left the van was responsible.
According to the release, Morgan, who was driving his company work van, left it in the middle of the road after crashing into a woman along the interstate.
Morgan, who was “driving erratically” with his headlights off, hit a woman’s SUV around 4 a.m. The driver regained control of the car and pulled off the roadway, but Morgan spun out, coming to rest "sideways, perpendicular to the direction of travel and in the fast lane," according to the release.
Shortly after the second crash, deputies with Whitefield County Sheriff's Office made it to the scene. By this time, Morgan had already walked away from the vehicle, headed for Atlanta, the release said.
Deputies turned the case over to the Georgia State Patrol Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT,) who found Morgan walking on the shoulder of I-75 near Connector three in his ServePro shirt with the keys to the van in his pocket. Morgan did not give law enforcement a reason as to why he left the scene.
Investigators believe Morgan left the scene without calling for help, moving his van or trying to warn others.
Morgan was found guilty of:
- Involuntary manslaughter
- Reckless conduct
- Reckless driving
- Leaving the scene of an accident
Morgan was found guilty on all counts after the jury deliberated for just an hour and a half. Sentencing for Morgan is set for Feb. 17, where he's looking at up to 10 years in prison for the death of Moore and up to 12 months each for all other charges.
