Georgia Bridge Law: Shannon Hamilton’s Daughter Dies, He Gets Arrested For Building Rails


A Georgia bridge law dispute has taken an ironic turn for Shannon Hamilton. On March 14, his daughter Cecily, 16, was killed along with her friend Taylor Swing, 18, in an accident involving a White County bridge.

Swing, who had been driving, had allegedly failed to control the 1997 Saturn SL2, veering off the bridge and landing top-down in the creek below. The car submerged, and both of the teens drowned after hours of nobody knowing what had happened.

Cecily Hamilton had been a cheerleader, and Taylor Swing was a football player. A memorial for both teens has been placed at the bridge on Gene Nix Road where they drowned.

On March 30, White County Commissioners had voted to add guardrails to the bridge.

Cecily’s grieving father decided to take a proactive approach to the situation to make sure it wouldn’t happen again, but things didn’t end the way he’d expected. Shannon Hamilton’s son Kale explained why his father allegedly flaunted the Georgia bridge law, according to Now Habersham.

“White County wants to take their time in getting this accomplished, so my dad did it for them.”

There was even a Change.org petition to get the Commissioners to act on the railing issue, stating that there are no markings and no lighting to indicate where the bridge is. Hamilton allegedly thought they weren’t working fast enough and decided to take it into his own hands, literally.

Hamilton started building the rails himself, so that what happened to his daughter and her friend wouldn’t be so likely to happen again. There would at least be a visual sign marking the side of the bridge.

Authorities didn’t appreciate Hamilton’s efforts, apparently. He was arrested on Sunday on charges that haven’t been decided yet. The current reason is for interference with government property, according to NBC News.

What do you think of Shannon Hamilton’s effort to fix the problem? Do you think they should let him go with a warning after violating a Georgia bridge law?

[Image via 11 Alive, Michelle’s Mosaic]

Share this article: Georgia Bridge Law: Shannon Hamilton’s Daughter Dies, He Gets Arrested For Building Rails
More from Inquisitr