Just over $179,000 remains from a grant the Burke County Sheriff’s Office received following an accident that claimed two lives near Plant Vogtle in October 2019.
Georgia Power Company provided the Sheriff’s Office with a $300,000 grant to improve road safety around the plant. Bechtel and the Nuclear Power Labor Management Cooperation Committee each added $100,000, bringing the total of the grant to $500,000.
Gregory Wingrove, 28, and Johnny Weintraub, 32, both died after their cars collided on River Road in the early morning hours of Oct. 14. Both men worked at Plant Vogtle.
MORE: Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Expansion Pushed Back Again
Donna Wingrove, mother of Gregory Wingrove, said her son was always afraid driving to work.
“He was scared how fast people were driving,” she said. “He would go in one hour early and leave one hour late to avoid the crazy traffic. And he still died on that road.”
Wingrove’s was one of four fatal accidents on the roads around Plant Vogtle in 2019.
When the grant was announced, Vogtle 3 & 4 Construction Executive Vice President Glen Chick said, “We believe an increased law enforcement presence, along with continued education of the workforce about safe driving habits, will help improve road safety to and from the plant.”
The Sheriff’s Office does not track specific dates, times and number of deputies assigned to any area, a spokesman said. However, deputies are advised when increased patrols are needed in a specific area, such as the roads around Plant Vogtle.
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“It is the duty of deputies assigned to Zone 2 to have an increased presence in the area throughout the duration of the shift and in addition, they are to pay close attention to that area during times in which traffic is increased with shift changing at Plant Vogtle,” said Captain Randall Norman of the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s Office numbers show that in 2018, deputies issued 104 citations or warnings and that 16 accidents with injuries and three fatal accidents occurred that year.
One year later, the numbers jumped: 227 citations or warnings, 100 total crashes, 26 with injuries and four with fatalities, including Gregory Wingrove in 2019.
In 2020, a year when construction at Units Three and Four was impacted by COVID-19, 173 citations or warnings were issued, but 127 total crashes, even more than in 2019. Five of those accidents involved injuries and one resulted in a fatality.
Wingrove said she still hears from people who work at the plant who tell her motorists are still speeding.
She added, “Something’s got to give.”
There is one other thing she would like, a photo of the accident scene.
“I just want to see where my child died,” she said softly.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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