A two-vehicle crash in Putnam County took the life of one teen and sent another to the hospital Friday afternoon, according to authorities.
Katherine Elizabeth Abernathy, age 17, of Eatonton, had already died at the scene when emergency personnel arrived, said Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills.
Driving a 2013 Honda CR-V, Abernathy reportedly pulled out of Loch Way and turned left onto State Route 44/Greensboro Road into the path of a 2016 Ford F150 pickup. The Ford F150, driven by Trevor Welch Culbertson, 21, of Buckhead, was traveling north, and the front of it crashed into the driver’s side door of the Honda.
“The final cause of the accident is still under investigation,” Sills said.
The sheriff noted that at the time of the crash, around 4:42 p.m., the victim was probably blinded by the sun. A senior at Georgia Military Prep School, Katherine is the daughter of Putnam County Tax Commissioner Terrell Abernathy.
Culbertson was taken by private vehicle to Piedmont Athens Regional for treatment of injuries that are believed to include a broken arm.