DECATUR COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — Mayra Santiz Perez's life changed forever following a deadly head-on collision in Grady County on August 6th, 2026, and questions are now being raised about traffic safety where the crash took place.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Gary Boatwright has lived on the corner near the crash site for more than 25 years and says he has witnessed dangerous driving along the route repeatedly.
"They come around this curve. I mean, they fall in the wrong lane. I've seen cars have swerved out of their lane to keep from hitting somebody. They hit that oak tree over there. They turned over in my backyard being upside down back there. And, I mean, people just, they fly around here."
Boatwright says speeding cars and distracted drivers navigating the sharp curve are ongoing problems.
ABC 27's Vanessa Lawrence reached out to the Perez family for an interview and spoke with their attorney, Amy Gonzalez Jackson of Serious Injury Law Group, about the family's current condition.
"When I was first involved in this matter, her one-year-old son was on life support in Jacksonville. He's passed since then, and she's focused right now on her daughter's recovery. So she just, she couldn't take the time away to be here, and understandably so. You know, it's a lot to go through that in general, so we wanted to respect her privacy."
State traffic data records show seven traffic accidents across the stretch of Pierce Chapel Road were reported in 2025.
Gonzalez Jackson said the legal team's focus is to get clarity on what happened and what led to the August 6th crash.
"Our goal is to get her justice, get a complete picture of what happened, and help put those pieces together so that she can try to find some type of closure in this and get a complete answer of what occurred."
The crash remains under investigation. The legal team representing the family has issued a public call for information regarding prior wrecks on Pierce Chapel Road.
The county was contacted to ask about the safety history of the curve and whether any improvements are planned. As of this report, no response has been received.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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