Local & State Headlines

Woman dies in U.S. 19 wreck

• The driver of a truck is not expected to face charges in a fatal collision, authorities say.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — One person was killed in a traffic crash on U.S. 19 South around 8 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

Annie Doris Sturlin, 52, of Albany, was leaving Albany Auto Auction when investigators believe she pulled out in front of a tanker truck hauling liquefied petroleum gas.

The truck collided with Sturlin’s Mitsubishi Eclipse and skidded about 150 feet into the median, investigators said.

Firefighters worked late into the night trying to free Sturlin’s body from the wreckage.

The driver of the truck, whose identity wasn’t immediately available, is not expected to face criminal charges, officers indicated.

Dougherty County Police, Albany Firefighters, Dougherty County EMS and Georgia State troopers all responded to the scene. Traffic slowed on the busy highway, but by 8:30, one lane in the southbound direction had been opened.

DCP Chief Don Cheek said at the scene Thursday that the crash was a tragedy and reminder of the dangers of driving.

“Even though our crash numbers were down in 2007, these types of crashes can still happen,” Cheek said. “It’s tragic.”

The DCP had just received recognition by the state for curbing the number of fatal traffic crashes in the county. Sturlin in the first traffic fatality in Dougherty County for 2008, officers said.

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