Update: 3-vehicle accident that resulted in double fatality still under investigation

Update

Gwinnett County Police Department has released the accident report of the Dec. 6 three-vehicle accident that resulted in the death of an 84-year-old Loganville woman and a pastor from a Grayson church. However, GCPD reports that the accident is still under investigation. Rodney Massey, 54, and Joan Holmes, 84, died in the wreck that shut down Highway 78 at Cooper Road last week. Holmes was the front seat passenger in the vehicle driven by Michelle Raines, 36, of Loganville. Raines was transported to Gwinnett Medical Center with serious, but non-life threatening, injuries and a 1-year-old child that was in the back seat was transported to Eggleston with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle that reportedly set off the chain reaction wreck, Thalena Willis, 47, of Snellville, was found to be at fault for failure to yield while turning left and GCPD reports that additional contributing factors are being investigated at this time.

According to the accident report, Willis was making a left turn from Cooper Road to travel westbound on Highway 78 (State Route 10) and Massey was traveling eastbound on SR 10 in the left lane of travel. Willis began turning left from Cooper Road when another vehicle came from east to west and turned onto Cooper Road in front of Willis. This vehicle had the right of way. Willis reportedly stopped in the eastbound lane and Massey swerved to avoid a collision but hit the front bumper of Willis’ vehicle and spun into the oncoming westbound traffic. His vehicle was struck by the vehicle driven by Raines. Massey died on the scene. Holmes was transported to Gwinnett Medical with critical injuries where she subsequently succumbed to her injuries. (The names of the drivers of Vehicles 2 and 3 have been corrected).

Initial story

An 84-year-old Loganville woman and the pastor of the Berean Church in Grayson were the victims of a double fatality on Highway 78 at Cooper Road on Thursday morning last week. Joan Holmes, 84, of Loganville and Rodney Massey, 54, pastor of the Berean Church, died in the wreck that shut down Highway 78 at about 9 a.m. on Dec. 6, 2018. Gwinnett County Police Department has said that the accident is still under investigation so the details are not available at this time, but they did release the names of the victims. There are no details at this time of a third vehicle involved.

The funeral for Joan Holmes will be Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018, at the Snellville Chapel of Wages Funeral Home.

The funeral for Dr.  Rodney Massey also will be Tuesday at the First Baptist Church of Snellville.