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One killed, three injured in wrecks Saturday in Macon, authorities say

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Two serious wrecks in Macon Saturday killed one passenger and injured three other people, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

The first happened around 2:20 p.m. on Interstate 475 north near mile marker 7. A motorcyclist from Alabama, Jason Townsend, 41, lost control of his motorcycle when his rear tire blew, crossing over several lanes of traffic and striking a guardrail, according to a release.

He and his passenger, Stephanie Burnside, 37, were taken to a local hospital. Burnside was later pronounced dead. Townsend remains in stable condition.

The second collision happened around 7 p.m. on Broadway near Flamingo Drive.

Larry Ryder, 72 of Macon, and his passenger, Wanda Washington, 67 of Macon, were in a GMC traveling north on Broadway when it collided with a tractor-trailer pulling out a driveway, police said.

Both Ryder and Washington were taken to a local hospital, where they remain in critical condition.

Both collisions are still under investigation, and anyone with information connected to them is urged to contact the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500 or Macon Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-877-68CRIME.

Caleb Slinkard
The Telegraph
Caleb Slinkard is the Georgia Editor for McClatchy, running the Macon Telegraph and Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newsrooms. Previously, he led newsrooms for the El Dorado (Ark.) News-Times, the Norman (Okla.) Transcript and the Greenville (Texas) Herald-Banner. He’s a graduate of Texas A&M University-Commerce and has taught journalism classes and practicums at the University of Oklahoma and Mercer University.
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