An Eatonton man was killed in a head-on collision this afternoon, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills.
Terrance Butts, 45, of Eatonton, was killed in the crash that happened around 3:45 p.m. today (May 17). Butts' two daughters, ages seven and 12, were in the backseat of the 2005 Toyota Corolla he was driving, and were taken by Putnam County EMS ambulance to a Macon hospital. Sills said he had not yet heard the extent of their injuries.
Butts was traveling east on State Route 16, also known as Sparta Highway, when his Corolla crossed over the center line and hit an oncoming box truck head on in the west bound lane, Sills said.
The 2023 Ford F650 box truck was driven by a 40-year-old man of Powder Springs, who was not injured. His passenger, a 37-year-old Loganville woman, also was not injured.
Drivers of other vehicles on the road who witnessed the accident gave statements to Putnam County deputies, who continue to investigate the crash.
Sills said Butts’ family members told him that Mr. Butts had been working long hours and hadn’t had much sleep.
Sills said the straight-on angle of the impact indicated the driver “very well may have been asleep.”
He also noted that the truck driver had come to a near stop because he saw the car coming at him.