A 19-year-old Augusta woman has been charged in connection with a fatal collision that claimed the life of a Plant Vogtle worker and U.S. Army veteran earlier this month.
Lauren Fortner was arrested last week and charged with homicide by vehicle and failure to maintain lane, following a tragic accident on Mike Padgett Highway on the morning of May 7. She was also injured and was treated at Wellstar MCG Hospital.
According to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Fortner was driving a Chevrolet Avalanche southbound around 6:47 a.m. when she swerved into the northbound lane and struck a Ford Fiesta head-on. The driver of the Fiesta, 58-year-old Andrew Pregel IV of Augusta, was pronounced dead at the scene.
There are reports Fortner may have been tired after working a 12-hour shift when the accident occurred. A RCSO accident report shows this diagram of what a witness says happened.
Pregel, a devoted husband and father of four, was on his way home from a night shift at Plant Vogtle and looking forward to a week off, according to his wife, Laura Rice.
“We were together for almost 22 years,” Rice wrote in a tribute on Facebook. “He was proud to serve in the U.S. Army until his retirement.” She thanked first responders for their efforts at the crash site and expressed hope for the recovery of others involved.
Originally from Michigan, Pregel was known for his adventurous childhood and lifelong commitment to service. He joined the Army after high school, serving multiple tours — including two in Iraq following the 9/11 attacks — before retiring at Fort Gordon in Augusta in 2019. Outside the military, he enjoyed fishing, camping, woodworking, and an ever-growing list of hobbies that reflected his curious and creative spirit.
“He would always say that he’d call family or finish a project tomorrow,” read his obituary. “Sadly, his tomorrows ended on May 7, leaving his family and friends to mourn him for all of their tomorrows.”
In a remarkable show of compassion after the arrest, Rice addressed criticism aimed at Fortner in a heartfelt public post. She recounted the teen’s emotional appearance in court, where she sat without an attorney, visibly overwhelmed as she listened to people speak about the man whose life had been lost.
“When I asked to speak to her, the first thing she said was how sorry she was, how she wished it was different,” Rice wrote. “I will say it again and again — if I had to choose the outcome, I would choose her.”
Rice emphasized that neither she nor her family wanted Fortner to be incarcerated, instead asking for mercy and compassion. “Andrew lived an amazing life… He would have wanted this child — the same age as our youngest son — to survive. He would have wanted her to thrive in her future.”
She also called out those who tried to politicize or criticize the situation. “Stop trying to make this something it’s not,” she wrote. “This was a tragedy, nothing more. It was an accident.”
The post:
The Pregel family has not released a photo of Andrew, and one could not be located through public sources. If you have one to share, please text it to 803-487-3224.
