Hancock County man killed in Milledgeville car crash

Published 10:21 pm Wednesday, November 10, 2021

A 48-year-old Hancock County man was killed in a two-car crash that happened Wednesday morning, local authorities say.

Authorities spent the better part of the day attempting to locate the victim’s next of kin, according to Baldwin County Deputy Coroner Steve Chapple.

The deputy coroner released the victim’s name to The Union-Recorder early Wednesday night.

Chapple identified the man as Kelly Lee Butler.

The preliminary investigation indicates a 2000 Dodge Dakota was traveling southbound on North Columbia Street, crossed over the center lane, into the inside northbound lane and collided head-on with a 2005 Nissan Altima, according to information from the Milledgeville Police Department.

The deputy coroner said he pronounced Butler dead at 7 a.m. The victim died from what is believed to have been blunt force trauma.

An autopsy will be performed at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Laboratory in Macon on Friday morning to determine the cause and manner of the victim’s death, Chapple said.

The two-car collision occurred along North Columbia Street near Butler Ford, according to Milledgeville Police Department Road Patrol Commander Maj. Linc Boyer.

The crash shut down traffic in both directions of the busy highway for several hours. Motorists were detoured onto other streets.

No other details have been released from police concerning the wreck, or the name of the other driver or extent of his or her injuries. The wreck remains under investigation.