Teacher dies in crash days after finishing her first year at Gwinnett County school

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County teacher died days after she finished her first year of teaching.

Georgia State Patrol said Chelsea Lumpkin was driving along Ga. 10 near Cedar Ridge Road in Walton County on Saturday morning when her car left the road. Her Toyota 4Runner hit a tree, ejecting her from the SUV. She died at the crash scene. Troopers did not say what caused Lumpkin’s SUV to leave the road.

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Lumpkin just finished teaching her first year at Alford Elementary School days before the crash, according to a GoFundMe page.

Lumpkin graduated from Kennesaw State’s Bagwell College of Education in May 2025. She served as a leader in student government and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

"Classrooms, councils, and chaplain duties — Chelsea Lumpkin has done it all with grace,“ Kendalyn McBride wrote on the GoFundMe. ”Her kindness, humor, and uplifting energy will truly be missed."

If you wish to donate, click here.

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