According to a report from OnlineAthens, Megan Elizabeth Kingston, 34, from Statham, Georgia, has been arrested for vehicular homicide after causing a fatal car accident last year which killed a National EMS paramedic in Athens.
The wreck occurred at approximately 12:15 a.m. on September 19, 2020, on Georgia Highway 316 in Oconee County. According to the Georgia State Patrol, Kingston was traveling in the wrong lane and crashed head on into a car driven by Jennifer Lee Patrick, 43, of Winder. Patrick was employed by National EMS in Athens for about seven years and was traveling from work. Kingston needed to be extricated from her Toyota RAV and was transported to an Athens hospital with serious injuries.
In addition to vehicular homicide, other warrants were recently obtained for Kingston charging her with reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of the road, having an open container of alcohol, and driving under the influence of multiple substances.
A witness said he saw Kingston turn off Georgia Highway 11 in Barrow County and begin traveling east in the westbound lane on Highway 316. The man started blowing his horn and waving his cell phone to alert Kingston. He then started to record the vehicle, capturing the actual crash with the oncoming Nissan Altima driven by Patrick, troopers said. The video is now part of the evidence, according to the report.
Another motorist, a man from Statham, reported that he also began sounding his horn to get Kingston’s attention; he also called 911. A third driver, a Johns Creek resident, said he was driving eastbound and starting flashing his headlights in an attempt to warn westbound motorists of the eastbound vehicle in their lane.
Kingston was arrested in Athens at around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday as she drove on Atlanta Highway. An Athens-Clarke officer monitoring traffic saw her driving while holding a cellphone to her head. After stopping Kingston, the officer saw the outstanding warrants and turned her over to an Oconee County sheriff’s deputy. Police also cited her for distracted driving.
Kingston is currently in Oconee County Jail without bond.
