CLARKE COUNTY, Ga. — The family of a University of Georgia PhD student who was killed in a wrong-way crash in 2023 has been awarded millions of dollars.
Beth Buchanan, 23, was driving her mother to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in February 2023 when a car driving the wrong way crashed into them head on. She was killed and her mother was hospitalized for weeks.
In a court filing on Wednesday, Judge Charles Auslander detailed all the accounts that her family, friends and colleagues gave about Buchanan’s life.
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She was described as “golden,” and remembered for her kind spirit, warm smile and brilliance. Auslander said that by all accounts, Buchanan was “an extraordinary person.”
She was pursuing her PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Based on average life expectancy, Auslander said Buchanan was expected to live to be 79.5 years old. Because of that, he awarded her family $1,000,000 for each of the remaining years that she was expected to live. In total, her family was awarded $56.5 million.
Last month, Channel 2’s Candace McCowan spoke with Buchanan’s mother, Dr. Julia Olsen-Buchanan.
“We had to get up early for a 6 a.m. flight,” she said. “As we were driving along University Parkway, we suddenly saw a white glimmer in her headlights, and it was the car.”
The driver accused of hitting them, Cesar Raudales Macias, was also injured. He was allowed to recover at home and he ran off.
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Her parents released a statement after the judgment was issued, saying this is symbolic, not compensation.
“We are absolutely devastated by the tragic loss of Beth. This award is largely symbolic and we do not want it to be mistaken for compensation. No amount of money could ever account for the loss of our daughter or fill the void she left behind. For us, this judgment is about a formal, legal acknowledgment of the beautiful life that was stolen from her and all those who loved her. We also hope this renewed attention will help bring the person responsible to justice. We continue to ask anyone who may have information, no matter how small it may seem, to please come forward.”
— Tim Buchanan and Julie Olson-Buchanan
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