Police believe excessive speed may have caused a crash that left a Cobb County teenager in critical condition and injured gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes’ daughter and two granddaughters Sunday.
Mario D. Zuniga, 17, was driving a black 2002 Porsche Boxster southbound on Old Mountain Road near Marietta when he struck the front of a 2008 Honda Odyssey around 12:40 p.m., Officer Joseph Hernandez with Cobb police said.
Barnes’ daughter, Allison Barnes Salter, of Marietta, was driving the Odyssey northbound on Old Mountain Road, near Greymont Circle, police said.
The Porsche crossed into the northbound lane while attempting to negotiate a curve to the right, Hernandez said. The posted speed limit is 30 mph, but investigators believe Zuniga was traveling faster. The two-lane road is a tree-lined scenic route through Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Zuniga, of Kennesaw, had to be extricated from the vehicle before being transported to Atlanta Medical Center, Hernandez said. A 16-year-old passenger, whose name was not released, was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
Zuniga remained in critical condition Monday morning, according to Atlanta Medical Center spokesman Marcus Gordon. The youth is a former student at Mount Paran Christian School, according to David Lowery, a spokesman there.
Salter, 35, was also taken to Kennestone and two daughters, ages 7 and 4, were transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, police said. None of their injuries was believed to be life-threatening. Salter was released from the hospital Sunday evening and the girls were expected to stay overnight.
On Monday, when asked whether any charges had been filed, Hernandez told the AJC the crash remained under investigation.
Salter is an attorney in her father’s Marietta law firm. Barnes’ campaign manager Chris Carpenter told the AJC the candidate for governor canceled campaign events Sunday following the crash. Monday’s events have also been canceled, according to a statement released late Sunday.
Barnes’ campaign released the following statement Sunday night:
“Roy and Marie appreciate the outpouring of thoughts and prayers as their daughter and granddaughters recover from today’s accident. Their thoughts and prayers also go out to the young men and the families involved in the accident.”
By Alexis Stevens and Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
10:37 a.m. Monday, October 11, 2010