City truck pulled into path of man in fatal River Road crash, police say

The driver of a city vehicle pulled from a driveway on Jan. 31 before it collided with a Fortson man’s Mercedes Benz on River Road, Columbus police said in a report.

James Gibson, 63, of Fortson died of blunt force trauma in the emergency room of Piedmont Columbus Regional’s midtown campus at 9:31 a.m., said Muscogee County Deputy Coroner Charles Newton. Autopsy results are still pending further tests, Coroner Buddy Bryan said Wednesday.

Police said Gibson was eastbound on River Road approaching Willett Drive as a city truck driven by a city employee steered a 2005 Chevrolet C8500 from the driveway at 7501 River Road about 8:25 a.m. to travel westbound.

The front of Gibson’s 1999 CLK 430 Mercedes Benz collided with the center of the truck’s left side. The city driver, 72, told police that both directions on the roadway were clear and no vehicles were approaching when he suddenly saw the Mercedes Benz after entering the roadway.

The driver of the city truck was wearing a seat belt but Gibson wasn’t strapped in his car.

The posted speed limit in the area is 55 mph on the three-lane road. No citations have been issued in connection with the fatal collision.

Gibson was the owner of four FoneMart locations in the surrounding area. He studied at Columbus State University after attending Carver High School.

This story was originally published February 6, 2019 at 3:16 PM.