ATHENS, Ga. — A wrong-way crash on the GA 10 Loop in Athens early Sunday killed two people and injured several others, according to police.
Officers were first alerted around 12:08 a.m. on Dec. 21 to reports of a wrong-way driver on the GA 10 Inner Loop at Chase Street. Minutes later, dispatchers received a crash report at Oglethorpe Avenue, said Athens-Clarke County Police Lt. Katie Jenkins.
According to Jenkins, the investigation revealed that 26-year-old Desiree Browning of Lawrenceville was driving a Kia Seltos in the wrong direction on the Inner Loop. The Kia struck a Mercedes-Benz, then a Ford Expedition, before continuing the wrong way and colliding head-on with a Toyota Camry.
After the final impact, the Kia came to rest on the cable barriers and caught fire.
The driver of the Toyota, 25-year-old Soonhoon Choi of Athens, died at the scene. A passenger in the Toyota was taken to a local hospital and remains in critical condition.
Browning also died at the scene. A passenger in the Kia was transported to a local hospital and is listed in critical condition. The occupants of the Mercedes-Benz and Ford Expedition suffered non-life-threatening injuries, said Jenkins.
Police have not released any further details of the crash. It remains unclear why Browning was traveling in the wrong direction. The incident remains under investigation.
This is the eighth fatal crash in Athens-Clarke County this year, bringing the total number of traffic deaths in 2025 to 10.
