CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A man is behind bars Tuesday after crash investigators say he took off after striking a girl while behind the wheel of a semi-truck.
The sheriff's office in Cherokee County said Tuesday that the 15-year-old girl struck by truck in a hit-and-run the day before was in "very serious condition."
Capt. Jay Baker, the Cherokee Sheriff's Public Information Officer, said he'd spoken to the family on Tuesday. He said they were upset and that "you can imagine it's troubling for them, to say the least," but that the girl was "responding to some of the treatment."
Her identity has not been released to this point.
Deputies arrested the 27-year-old man Tuesday afternoon at his workplace, the sheriff's office said. Authorities believe he was entering directions in his GPS on his phone during the crash and was driving the vehicle as part of his job, with the trucking company cooperating with the sheriff's office.
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The crash happened around 3:13 p.m. on Monday at Bells Ferry Road south of Hwy. 92 near the entrance of the Walden Pond apartment complex. Baker called that one of the busiest areas in Cherokee County and said the girl was struck while trying to cross the street to a business.
She was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital by ambulance and then later flown to Scottish Rite Hospital.
As she recovers, the man is being held at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center with a $17,580 bond. He's accused of felony hit and run, serious injury by vehicle and distracted driving.