A Richmond Hill man died on Hwy. 144 after the Toyota Corolla he was driving was involved in a head-on collision with a minivan in the area of the Strathy Hall curve Monday night.
Charles Brooker, 62, was traveling eastbound toward his home on Passaic Lane when he reportedly crossed the center lane while approaching the curve between Ogeechee Road and Strathy Hall Drive. His car met a Toyota minivan driven by Richmond Hill resident Tracy Clark Johnson, who was traveling westbound, just after she rounded the curve, authorities said.Johnson suffered injuries and was taken to Memorial Hospital by ambulance, where a hospital spokesman said on Tuesday afternoon she was in "fair condition."
Brooker was described Tuesday by his wife Pam Brooker as a "kind and considerate man and a hardworking guy."
"We’re all in shock right now," she said. "This was the last thing we expected to happen."
Brooker, a long-time pharmacist and father of three, was returning home from Rite-Aid in Claxton, his wife said.
He recently began making that commute when the Savannah location he worked at closed down. He was also working part time at Village Walk Pharmacy on Skidaway, which he has done for the past five years.
The curve has a reputation for being dangerous, but Sheriff Clyde Smith said Brooker crossed the center line before he got to the curve - which has been the site of other accidents and a fatal crash in 2000.