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Tuesday, Mar. 17, 2009

Wreck at I-75/I-16 split kills one man

A Macon man died and another was hospitalized following a Monday morning traffic accident near the Interstate 16/Interstate 75 north interchange.

Macon police Sgt. Melanie Hofmann said a white Ford F550 rollback wrecker lost control and hit a guardrail at the intersection just before noon.

Robert Vaughn Bailey, 33, of Chapman Road in Jones County, was taken to The Medical Center of Central Georgia and pronounced dead at 12:21 p.m., Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said.

Another man in the truck, Charles Pittman, 32, of Marie Circle, was ejected from the truck.

He was listed in stable condition Monday evening at The Medical Center.

Both men were thrown from the truck, Jones said. Jones said it was unclear which of the men was driving.

Pittman’s wife, Callie, said Monday afternoon that her husband sustained a gash on his head and had to have stitches in one of his ears. She said her husband’s memory of the accident is hazy, but he told her the truck hydroplaned before going into the guardrail.

The Pittmans own a vehicle recovery service, and Pittman and Bailey were on their way to pick up a vehicle from an auction when the accident happened, she said.

Callie Pittman said she hopes her husband will be able to be leave the hospital today.

The accident caused traffic to be blocked on I-16 east lanes for about an hour, officials from the Macon-Bibb County Fire department said, and slowed traffic at I-75 north at Exit 165.

Hofmann said the accident still is under investigation by the Macon Police Department.

To contact writer Phillip Ramati, call 744-4334. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.