Henry Daily Herald

Photo by Hugh Osteen

By Johnny Jackson

jjackson@henryherald.com

Henry County Police are investigating a traffic accident that claimed the life of a Hampton man, and mangled the front porch of a McDonough home.

"The driver of the vehicle, [54-year-old David Johnson] was transported to Henry Medical Center by ambulance, but was pronounced dead at the hospital," said Police Capt. Jason Bolton. "No one else was injured during the incident."

Bolton said the car was traveling eastbound along a portion of Ga. Highway 20/81, also known as Hampton Street, when its driver lost control.

The car, the police captain said, left the roadway at that point, and ultimately hit an unoccupied, parked vehicle at the house, located at 522 Hampton Street in McDonough.

The car subsequently struck, and severely damaged, the front porch of the house, causing it to collapse into piles of bricks.

Traffic crept at a snail's pace along Ga. Hwy. 20/81, as Alan Carmichael assessed the damage to his Ranch-style house, built in the 1950s, and what remained of the fatal accident that occurred around noon on Thursday.

Carmichael, the homeowner, who also owns the house next door, said he has seen many accidents at the near-by intersection of Phillips Drive and Hampton Street, but none has ever caused damage to either of his houses.

He said the damaged house -- formerly the home of his now-deceased father, Charles Carmichael -- will be repaired soon. However, he expressed his sorrow and regret for Johnson's family.

"It's an unfortunate thing that happened," he said. "But houses can be fixed, lives can't be replaced."