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Published Thursday, October 14, 2010 in Local

Photo by Bob Fraley

Coweta Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol officials check trucks at the Pilot truck stop on U.S. Highway 29 South following the hit-and-run accident involving a sheriff’s deputy.

Deputy's patrol car sideswiped; trucker faces DUI, other charges

By Alex McRae

The Newnan Times-Herald

A Coweta County deputy performing a traffic stop on Interstate 85 Wednesday morning escaped serious injury when his vehicle was sideswiped by an 18-wheeler.

The truck driver fled the scene in the tractor-trailer after the incident, according to Major James Yarbrough of the Coweta County Sheriff's Office.

The driver of the 18-wheeler, Michael Ray Derossett, 36, of Bluefield, West Va., was found minutes after the incident and arrested, Yarbrough said. Charges filed against Derossett by the Georgia State Patrol include driving under the influence-drugs, Yarbrough said.

The incident began at 9:10 a.m. Wednesday when Coweta Sheriff's Office Deputy Jeff Bugg pulled over a Saturn car headed northbound on I-85 at mile marker 39, two miles south of the Moreland exit.

Yarbrough said Bugg exited his vehicle and approached the Saturn on the passenger side for safety purposes. As Bugg was leaning through the Saturn vehicle to get paperwork and information from the driver the 18-wheeler driven by Derossett approached traveling northbound and struck both deputy Bugg's patrol car and the Saturn.

Both cars were damaged and Bugg was thrown to the road shoulder by the impact. Derossett did not stop and kept traveling northbound.

Bugg was able to radio in a description of the 18-wheeler and its direction of travel. Several motorists who witnessed the accident also called in with information about the 18-wheeler. At least one motorist reported to have seen Derossett drive his vehicle off the interstate at exit 41 and pull around to the back of the Pilot Truck Stop located at that exit.

"He went back there trying to hide," Yarbrough said. "This time, thanks to some citizen help, it didn't work."

Coweta deputies acting on witness reports went to the truck stop, found Derossett and held him until he was taken into custody by the Georgia State Patrol.

When state patrol trooper Joel Puckett arrived at the scene, he suspected from Derossett's behavior that he was under the influence of drugs, according to Sgt. Lance Greene, head of the Georgia State Patrol's Newnan post.

After a brief investigation, Puckett arrested Derossett and took him to the Coweta County Jail for booking.

Greene says it was fortunate that no one was hurt more seriously in the incident.

"You never know what will happen on the road," Greene said. "We always advise everyone to be careful at all times."

Derossett was charged with DUI-drugs, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death, failure to pull over when approaching an emergency vehicle, failure to maintain lane, and being in possession of prescription drugs not in the original container.

Yarbrough said several prescription pills were found in the floorboard of Derossett's truck, but authorities had not yet determined whether the drugs had been prescribed to Derossett or not.

Deputy Bugg was able to drive his vehicle away from the scene and was later checked by physicians.

"We don't think he's hurt badly, but we want to check everything just to make sure," Yarbrough said. "We're happy Jeff is OK. If that truck had been just a few feet closer it could have been a real disaster."

Greene wanted to remind everyone that Georgia law requires all drivers to do two things when approaching an emergency vehicle, such as a law enforcement vehicle, fire vehicle, ambulance or even a utility vehicle working along the roadside.

Drivers are required, if it is safe, to pull over at least one lane on a multi-lane road to allow extra space for the emergency vehicle, Greene said.

If there is not room for traffic to pull over when approaching an emergency vehicle, the law requires drivers to slow down below the speed limit to a speed slow enough to be able to stop in case something enters the road in front of them.

"How much to slow down depends on the vehicle," Greene says, "but you've got to be able to stop before you hit something. That's the law."