Wilkins was killed on the road by a drunk driver. | Adobe Stock
Wilkins was killed on the road by a drunk driver. | Adobe Stock
Jermain Wilkins, the father of an 11-year-old son, was killed on his way home from work by a drunken driver in a violent collision on New Year's morning.
Robert Godhigh, a 30-year-old from Dallas, Georgia, drifted into Jermain Wilkins' lane and crashed into him while attempting to pass another vehicle, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. The incident occurred near Autumn View Drive on the Dallas Acworth Highway.
"He was a devoted father," Malisha Wilkins, Jermain Wilkins' mother, told Fox 5 Atlanta. "Him and his son were very close. He had a spirit that would light a room."
Godhigh has been charged with driving under the influence, first-degree vehicular homicide and improper passing, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
"You took a young man's father," Malisha Wilkins said. "You took adults' son. And you took a sibling they cared and loved for so much."
This deadly incident was not the only one to occur on Georgia roads over the holiday, the Georgia Department of Public Safety reported. Jermain Wilkins was 1 of 15 total people who died in car accidents over the course of that weekend.
Malisha Wilkins said that though she will be grieving for a long time, she did receive some comfort through a text message from a stranger who was at the scene.
"You do not know me at all and I didn't personally know your son, but I was there when the accident happened," the stranger said. "It was completely senseless and irresponsible what that driver did. I want you to know that he wasn't alone. I called 911 and I waited with him."
The Wilkins family has established a GoFundMe page for the funeral service and to ensure that Jermain Wilkins' 11-year-old son is cared for.
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