A Grovetown mother faces charges after her 3-year-old daughter died Friday in a wreck on Columbia Road, authorities said.
Samecia Smith, 29, faces possible charges of vehicular homicide and failure to maintain lane in the death of 3-year-old Zora Paschal. The wreck happened just before 1 p.m. on Columbia Road at the entrance to Woodlawn Baptist Church.
“(Smith) was traveling east and didn’t realize traffic had stopped in front of her,” sheriff’s Maj. Steve Morris said in a press release. “She swerved to avoid a rear-end collision and went into the oncoming lane. That’s when she was struck by a westbound Jeep Cherokee.”
The child was in a car seat in the backseat of vehicle two but had severe head and brain injuries and was killed instantly, Maj. Morris said.
The driver of the Cherokee was identified as 65-year-old Mary Hyer, known to the WGAC radio audience as newscaster Mary Liz Nolan. She was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was not faulted in the accident. WGAC reported that Nolan was on her way home when the tragic accident happened.
