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Augusta, GA

Deputies blame wheelchair rider for Augusta crash that killed him

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Deputies blame wheelchair rider for Augusta crash that killed him


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An accident report is shedding more light on a weekend crash that killed a 63-year-old man in a wheelchair – and it blames the dead man for the accident.

John Cummings, of the 2500 block of Dover Street, was struck by a vehicle at 5:23 p.m. Saturday while riding his power wheelchair on Deans Bridge Road at Ridge Road.

He was taken to Augusta University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on Saturday at 6:46 p.m. He died of blunt-force trauma and no autopsy is scheduled, according to Richmond County Coroner Mark Bowen.

According to an accident report obtained Wednesday from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Cummings was traveling north on Deans Bridge on his Hover Round Power Chair in the right thru-lane of traffic.

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The 2019 Toyota Corolla that struck him was also northbound in the right thru-lane and hit the rear of Cummings’ wheelchair, according to the report.

According to the report, Cummings was thrown from the wheelchair. The crash happened at 3030 Deans Bridge Road – directly in the intersection with Ridge Road – but Cummings ended up at 3028 Deans Bridge Road, according to the report.

The driver of the vehicle, a 34-year-old woman, stated that she didn’t see Cummings “until the last second,” according to the report. The driver further stated that Cummings “came out of nowhere,” according to the report.

The accident report notes that the sun was out, the weather was clear and the road surface was dry. Deans Bridge has three lanes of traffic in each direction, with a raised median dividing each direction, according to a diagram accompanying the report.

The investigation found Cummings at fault in the accident “for darting into the roadway.”

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The deadly crash was among several across the region in the span of three days.

The others included:

  • A 4-year-old after a Friday afternoon crash in Orangeburg County. According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 3:26 p.m. on private property near the 200 block of Belfast Avenue. Troopers say a 2020 Dodge pickup was traveling south on the property when it struck the girl standing on the property. The driver of the Dodge was not injured. The Orangeburg County coroner identified the victim as Lorelei Klopp of Belfast Avenue.
  • On Saturday night, one person was killed in a car accident on Fort Motte Road at Dillon Court, about eight miles north of Calhoun. According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the accident happened around 9:30 p.m. when the driver of a 2003 Chevy S-10 pickup truck ran off the left side of the road and hit an embankment, causing the truck to flip. The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was pronounced dead on the scene.
  • A Batesburg man died after an all-terrain vehicle accident in Aiken County. Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables has identified the victim as 23-year-old Dyrth R. Fulmer. Ables said the accident happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday on private property on Holder Road near Hadden Road a few miles southeast of Monetta. According to the coroner, the accident happened when Fulmer lost control of the ATV, a CanAm BRP side by side, after hitting a slight embankment and flipping over while traveling north on Holder Road.



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Augusta, GA

13th Street construction continues as projects fail brick by brick

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13th Street construction continues as projects fail brick by brick


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – If you drive in downtown Augusta near the 13th Street bridge, you’ve likely dealt with the construction traffic as part of Augusta’s beautification.  

Brick-in-laid crosswalks were recently finished, and while they look great, they didn’t last long. 

John Ussery, assistant director of traffic, says they have already fixed some of the crosswalks on Telfair Street and 13th and Greene Street. 

Now, they are making their way down to Jones Street, and he says they’re almost done with the project — again.  

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“I’m driving. I’m like, “Yay, good job, guys.” And I hit this bump in the road, and I was like, “Where did this bump come from? It’s a perfectly good road,’” said Jesse Cheadle, who drives in Augusta.

Just when residents thought they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, crews are back out again. 

“I’m looking at it and the brick had literally been broken. And coming into the road,” said Cheadle. 

In October, the city installed brick sidewalks at the intersection of 13th Street and Jones Street. 

They said the construction would take about two weeks. 

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“It’s frustrating because it’s such a high-volume area,” said Cheadle. 

But now, three months later, they’re starting over. 

Hillcrest Farms after Hurricane Helene

“They laid the brick in there loosely. What did they think was gonna happen?” said Cheadle. 

Ussery says they are having to redo all of the brick sidewalks because the contractor decided to try a different technique than what the manufacturer had suggested. 

But this time around, they’re following the recommendation. 

“Well, you had one job and you failed,” said Cheadle. 

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Cheadle says he’s hoping it’s all done soon because it’s not just about convenience, but also safety. 

“That ambulance needs to get to a hospital in a timely manner. They don’t have time to go around I-20. They don’t have time to go around Gordon Highway,” said  

Luckily, the city says they do not have to pay for them to fix the crosswalks this time around. 



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Augusta, GA

‘We need help’: Ga. airport underfunding could hinder expansions

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‘We need help’: Ga. airport underfunding could hinder expansions


ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) – Municipal airports across South Georgia could see improvements paused or canceled because of a lack of funding from federal and state officials.

Regional Airports need $83.5 million per year for improvement projects, but Albany, Valdosta, Savannah, Augusta, Macon, Brunswick, and Columbus only receive $16 million from the FAA and $2.8 million from the state.

Airports outside of Atlanta are receiving the shorter end of the stick when it comes to federal and state funding. Airport officials say that they hope that with more grant funding and the expansion of a few projects, it will increase more revenue right here in the Good Life City.

“If we don’t improve our infrastructure and our facilities, we will continue to lose our business aviation to other states. Some of the other states are receiving anywhere from 30 to 80 million dollars worth of funds, where we’re getting around 19 to support 7 airports outside of Atlanta and that’s a challenge,” officials say.

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Colonial Pipeline leak Paulding County

In Albany, the airport has upcoming projects to bring bigger planes, more commercial flights, and Cargo airplanes to the city. But with the lack of funding, the completion of that project is at risk.

“We’re looking at a runway extension which will be a huge project over 100 million dollars and funding has not been identified for that project. So where would we get that money? Well, we need the Federal Administration and the State of Georgia to give us more support,” officials say.

While officials say the airport needs some improvements, passengers say they love the convenience of being able to travel right outside their backyard.



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Augusta, GA

North Augusta Baseball gets one last swing at Riverview Park

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North Augusta Baseball gets one last swing at Riverview Park


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – We’re just under two months away from baseball season and this year will be a bittersweet one for North Augusta’s baseball and softball teams.

While many players would much rather play at a brand-new facility, Riverview Park has been home to the Yellowjackets for a long time now.

After this season, however, North Augusta will finally have a new place to call home.

But, they will have one more chance to close out a phenomenal season before transitioning to the new stadium next year.

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You’ve seen the construction and you can see the vision.

In just a few more months, across the street from North Augusta High School will be two brand-new facilities.

The newest home of the Yellowjackets baseball and softball teams.

“It’s a chance to have something that is ours,” said Lynn. “Our own atmosphere at school. It’s going to be exciting.”

The over $8 million project was slated to be completed ahead of this year’s season, but after multiple delays like the impact of Hurricane Helene and just how big of a project it truly is, the facilities are still several months from being ready for play.

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In the event construction concludes as originally planned, Head Coach Kevin Lynn says the team has no plans to move fields in the middle of their 2025 season.

“I don’t want to have summer ball starting there, I want our kids to start a regular season there,” said Lynn. I want them to open the season up and have a true home opener.”

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) looks on during pre-game warm-ups before an...

The good news is, nothing about this year will feel different for the team.

The Yellowjackets have called Riverview Park home for over 40 years and they’ll get one more chance to send it out with a grand slam.”I grew up watching my brother play here and many people before him, so being able to play here one last time feels really good.”

“I’d like to go out on a high note and finish up strong here. Our goal is to win all of our games at home since we play here all the time and know the layout more than anybody else. It’d be nice to accomplish those goals in our last season.”

Lynn’s team will open up on the road against Strom Thurmond on Feb. 11.

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The Yellowjackets are 40 and 40 under Lynn as head coach.

It’s hard to believe we’re almost to baseball season, before we know it we’ll be talking about the Masters.



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