A Jefferson County man is facing charges of DUI and homicide by vehicle after a crash in Appling Friday night that killed his stepson’s girlfriend.
According to Columbia County authorities, 55-year-old Mark Alan McCarty was driving on White Oak Road just before dusk when his vehicle veered off the north shoulder of the road. As he tried to steer back onto the pavement, he overcorrected, causing his older-model Chrysler Pacifica to spin out and roll into a ditch. The vehicle reportedly flipped approximately three times during the crash.
During the rollover, 39-year-old Raven Walker, who lived with the McCarty family in Stapleton, was ejected from the car and killed. She was his stepson’s girlfriend.
Three dogs in the vehicle were also thrown from the car. Two of the larger dogs returned later that night, and the third, a smaller dog, was found Saturday near the scene, authorities said.
McCarty was taken to Doctors Hospital for treatment and later booked into jail early Monday. He is charged with homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of multiple substances, having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, driving too fast for conditions, and not wearing a seat belt.
Columbia County Coroner Terry Norman said Walker’s body will be sent for an autopsy.
