Forsyth County

Lone survivor of deadly truck crash has long road ahead

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — More than three weeks after a deadly truck crash in Forsyth County, the lone survivor remains in the intensive care unit.

Thomas Wirkner’s boss, Chuck Hatfield, told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik that the Marietta man suffered serious injuries in the crash on Highway 9 and Castleberry Road on Sept. 18.

“It was scary. He was pretty beat up,” Hatfield said. “He fractured his skull. Has a big cut down the side of his face. They had to do some corrective surgery on his eye.”

Deputies say a trash truck driven by Rodrick Thompson lost control while making a right turn, tipped over and veered into Wirkner’s path.

Tashaun and Rodrick Thompson. 

Thompson and his nephew, Tashaun Thompson, died at the scene. Deputies are still investigating what caused Thompson to lose control.

“It’s tragic,” Hatfield said.

Wirkner is affectionately known as “Prospect” in the trucking community because of his hobby of panning for gold in his off time.

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Hatfield started a Facebook page "Prayers for Prospector" where he's collecting messages to read to 59-year-old Wirkner, who doesn't have any social media pages.

“What we’re asking people to do is write a personal letter, a personal prayer, a thought so once he starts his rehabilitation, we’re gonna little by little present it to him, sit down and read it to him," Hatfield said.

Hatfield said Wirkner is a Marine veteran who is tough.

“They asked him if he needed any pain medicine and he said ‘no,’” Hatfield said. "I said ‘Man, you’re laying there all busted up. If it was me I’d be asking for something.' He looked up at me with the one eye and said ‘I’m a Marine, I don’t need any.'”

Hatfield and his mother, Lynn, told Petchenik the company and its employees are focusing on Wirkner to get him through to recovery.

“You never expect the worst, but that day came for our company. Our employees are very important to us,” Lynn said. “Without God putting his arms around him that day, he would have never made it out of that truck.”