Woman injured in Houston wreck involving backhoe

Suzanne Miller, 41, of Elko, was injured Monday morning when her pickup truck collided with a Houston County public works backhoe being used to clean up storm debris on Elko Road in south Houston County, Georgia State Patrol trooper Justin Tabor said.

Miller, who sustained apparently serious cuts and had to be cut from her vehicle by emergency personnel, was taken to a hospital in Macon, Tabor said. Backhoe operator Bobby Collins of Hawkinsville was treated at the scene for minor injuries and released.

Tabor said Miller, who was driving a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, will be charged with passing in a no passing zone.

About 1,350 homes in the Elko area were left without power when a strong thunderstorm toppled trees and downed power lines Sunday evening, said Marian Douglas of Flint Energies. All power was restored by 7 a.m., but storm debris cleanup continued most of the day.

— Chuck Thompson