MARIETTA, Ga.,None — A man involved in a hit-and-run accident in Marietta says he never ran, and a seizure caused the accident.
Garrett Hamlin, 24, spoke with Channel 2's Craig Lucie even though he is a wanted man.
"One thing I don't understand is why I'm being charged with a hit-and-run?" Hamlin told Lucie.
The Marietta Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest Tuesday after they said he caused a huge mess on the Interstate 20 Monday afternoon.
Police said Hamlin side-swiped a pickup truck and that driver then started following him.
"I hit the black F-250 while I was seizing and then I guess I bounced off of him, and a couple seconds later I went across the highway and hit two cars in the oncoming lane," Hamlin said.
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Hamlin's pickup flew over one of those cars and landed in the woods. Emergency crews took him to hospital where he remained until Tuesday morning with bruised ribs and a cut over his eye.
After the accident, Marietta police's Michael Gardner told Channel 2's Ross Cavitt, "We kind of have an idea why he fled because his license is suspended, but we don't know what caused him to lose control into oncoming traffic."
Hamlin said he lost control because he had a seizure.
"If it was a hit-and-run, I would not have gone into that traffic and collided with so many cars," Hamlin explained.
Garrett Hamlin acknowledges his driving record doesn't help his case adding, "It's pretty terrible!"
Just in Gwinnett County officers booked him for a suspended license twice, and he recently went to jail for failing to appear in court.
Marietta police told Lucie Tuesday night that there is no evidence that supports his claim that he had a seizure.
"What evidence would there be? I have a history of seizures," Hamlin said.
It's a history he plans on proving with his medical records and a little hope.
"I'm not sure they will believe me, but I hope and pray that they will," Hamlin added.
Hamlin said he wants to apologize to the people involved in the accident. He is facing a hit-and-run charge, two counts of failure to maintain a lane and driving on a suspended license.
A detective told him to turn himself in Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. He told Lucie he plans on going to the police department after he meets with his attorney at 10 a.m.
"I feel pretty bad because I am not that kind of person. I've made some mistakes. I feel like I am being thrown to the wolves. I'm so sorry about all this. If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn't have driven. I probably won't be driving for a long time even after my license situation gets better because I don't want to hurt anybody," Hamlin said.