AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A 17-year-old driving a possibly stolen vehicle was critically injured Thursday after fleeing Richmond County deputies, crashing near I-520 and running into interstate traffic, authorities said.

Richmond County deputies went to the area of Barton Chapel Road and Old McDuffie Road at around 8:19 a.m. Thursday for a possible stolen vehicle described as an orange Dodge Challenger.

Deputies located the vehicle at the intersection of Barton Chapel Road and Old McDuffie Road, and as deputies attempted to turn around and make contact, the driver sped away going eastbound on Old McDuffie Road, officials said.

Deputies attempted to follow the vehicle but lost sight of it shortly thereafter.

A short time later, a deputy saw that the Challenger had crashed at the dead end of Old McDuffie Road after traveling through a private fence, authorities say.

The vehicle stopped on an embankment along the southeast shoulder of I-520 eastbound near mile marker 4, according to the sheriff’s office.

As deputies approached the vehicle, deputies said the driver ran across the eastbound lanes of I-520 into oncoming traffic, and was hit by a passing vehicle.

The impact from the first vehicle caused him to hit the windshield of a second vehicle traveling in the same direction, according to officials. He was then propelled over the center barrier wall into the westbound lanes of the interstate.

The driver was transported to Wellstar MCG by Central EMS for treatment and is listed in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said.

Georgia State Patrol has been notified and is leading the investigation into the incident. Any additional information will be released as it becomes available.

The crash shut down all lanes on the interstate for hours on Thursday morning, reopening around 11 a.m.

On Wednesday morning, Richmond County deputies responded to another “serious” crash on Barton Chapel Road, which turned out to be deadly.

According to data provided by the sheriff’s office, traffic collisions in Richmond County decreased by 3% in the past year, from 10,672 in 2024 to 10,402 in 2025.

The more significant decrease came with a 43% in traffic fatalities in the county. Fatalities dropped from 44 in 2024 to 25 in 2025.

More broadly, in Georgia, there were a total of 367,523 crashes in 2024, which is down from 374,006 in 2023, according to GDOT.

There was a total of 1,494 fatal crashes in Georgia in 2024, down from 1,666 in 2023.

GDOT says 76% of the time, fatal crashes are caused by unsafe driving behaviors, including distractions, impairment or driving too fast for conditions.

And in Nov. 2025, the sheriff’s office was one of 26 law enforcement agencies in Georgia to receive a Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety awarded the sheriff’s office with $192,286.36.

The Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic, or H.E.A.T., program is designed to combat crashes, injuries and fatalities caused by impaired driving and speeding, while also increasing seatbelt use and educating the public about traffic safety.

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