Flowery Branch woman killed in Hwy. 53 wreck

GAINESVILLE - A Flowery Branch woman has been identified as the victim of Friday morning's fatal accident that shut down Highway 53 for nearly four hours.

A spokesperson for the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said 66-year-old Annette Woodard was killed when her vehicle struck a commercial box truck head-on near the Hall County-Forsyth County line.

Authorities said the driver of the box truck was transported from the scene with non-life threatening injuries.

Forsyth County Sheriff's Capt. Tim House said Friday morning that Woodard was pronounced dead at the scene.

A tractor trailer fire near Gainesville Marina in Hall County also hampered the morning commute for motorists on Highway 53.

Gainesville Fire Chief Jon Canada said that incident occurred around 10:45 a.m. and shut down both westbound lanes of the highway as emergency personnel responded.

He said firefighters quickly extinguished that blaze and no injuries were reported.