Milledgeville man loses life in 18-wheeler crash in Wilkinson County

A Milledgeville man was traveling north on US 441 when his Freightliner semi-truck was T-boned by a second Freightliner that failed to stop at a stop sign.

The crash occurred on Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of US 441 and US 112 in Wilkinson County, just north of the Wilkinson/Laurens county line.

Randal "Sunk" Wilson was pronounced deceased at the scene. Wilson was a familiar face around Harrisburg and the southside of town, somebody who seemingly knew everybody.

The driver of the other 18-wheeler, listed with a California address, was not seriously injured. 

Wilson's truck immediately caught on fire, which caused the trailer of the second semi-truck to catch fire. The smoke could be seen from miles away, and the scene resembled something out of a Hollywood action movie, quite frankly. Wilson managed to get out of the cab and struggled to the side of the highway, although his body was "engulfed in flames," according to Wilkinson County Coroner Billy Matthews. The likely cause of death will be determined as "thermal trauma," according to the coroner. 

"Pretty much 100 percent of Mr. Wilson's body was covered in burns, third-degree burns mainly," Matthews said.

The Georgia State Patrol returned to the crash scene on Wednesday for further investigation, and the California truck driver presumably will receive traffic citations.

Slater's Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.

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