White County first responders work fatal wreck, multiple calls Thursday

White County first responders had a busy Thursday, Sept. 3, responding to multiple calls around the county, including a fatal wreck and an explosion within a hour span.

A man was found deceased in a single-vehicle crash at 1:25 p.m. on Ga. 356 at county Fire Station 7, said White County Public Safety Director David Murphy. Lewis Raia, 82, of Clarksville, was driving a 2003 Chevrolet Avalanche east on Ga. 356 when, for an unknown reason, the truck went off the north shoulder of the roadway, according to the Georgia State Patrol Post 6 of Gainesville.

The vehicle reportedly rotated clockwise and its left side hit a tree. Raia was pronounced dead at the scene by the White County Coroner’s Office. GSP reported Raia was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash, and alcohol or drugs are not suspected to be a contributing factor in the wreck.

The emergency response also included White County Fire Station 7, Helen Fire Department, White County EMS, the White County Sheriff’s Office and Habersham County firefighters.

A series of other calls immediately preceded the wreck.

At 12:28 p.m., 911 received a call about two people with burn injuries at Running Deer Road. A victim who reported the incident said there was an explosion while using an accelerant in a barrel, Murphy said. Both the patients had burns on their legs and arms. 

"Due to the nature of the injuries, one patient was flown by air ambulance to Grady Memorial and the other transported by ground ambulance to Grady Memorial Burn Center," Murphy said. 

White County Fire Services, the Cleveland Fire Department and White County EMS responded to the incident.

At 12:46 p.m., the Helen Fire Department, White County Fire Station 7 and White County EMS responded to a woman experiencing chest pains and difficulty breathing at Anna Ruby Falls, Murphy said. The woman had to be escorted off the trail to the ambulance for evaluation. The patient refused transport. 

A two-vehicle accident in the area of Asa Dorsey Road and Ga. 254 was reported at 1:03 p.m. Murphy said that was vehicle was reported to have gone down an embankment with two people still in the vehicle. 

"Two ambulances were summoned from Hall County Fire, along with a fire engine for manpower," Murphy said. "White County Station 4, and Captain 1 responded to the incident as well. Extrication equipment had to be used to free the victims from the accident, and both were transported with non-life threatening injuries to Northeast Georgia Medical Center-Gainesville. The occupant of the second vehicle refused treatment and the incident is under investigation by the sheriff’s office."

Murphy noted emergency crews balanced other incidents during this span.

"Within this same time frame, multiple medical calls were received along with law enforcement incidents," Murphy said. "Mutual aid was received from Hall and Habersham counties. All agencies and team members worked well together and incidents were handled as quickly as possible. County stations were alerted for an “all call” for all available personnel in the event calls continued to come in during this “rush” of the system. Our agencies are prepared for days like today, by prioritizing calls and using our mutual aid agreements with our regional partners."