Car Surfing Accident Leaves 2 Seriously Injured, 5 Charged

Five people have been charged in connection to a car surfing accident in Lilburn that caused serious harm to two of them.

According to the Gwinnett County Police report, those injured were Sara Wittenberg, 20, of Stone Mountain, and Kirstin Dame, 18, of Lilburn. Police found them lying face down at the intersection of Oak Road and Pale Oak Terrace in front of a black Honda Acura around 10:20 p.m. April 29.

Both women were bleeding profusely and had bruises and scratches all over them. Dame had one large, deep cut on her body, and she was unable to speak due to swelling in her face. Wittenberg's face also was deeply scratched.

Wittenberg told police that they were intoxicated while she, Dame and another friend were "ghost riding," or car surfing, on top of the car's hood through the neighborhood.

The car stopped abruptly and caused them to fall headfirst, and the vehicle ran over her and Dame, she said.

The police report states that Nathaniel Pepper, 20, was the other person riding on top of the car and Dame's stepfather, Eddie E. Gilmer, 36, was driving. They all live in the neighborhood.

Pepper sustained multiple scratches on his chest and shirt, but nothing serious. He admitted to police that he had been drinking and partying with the two girls and Gilmer and his wife, Tracey.

Gilmer denied being involved in the accident. He only said the five of them had been drinking at his house, but he and his wife didn't give any alcohol to the underage drinkers. He told police that he was inside the home taking care of his two babies during the car surfing.

A family friend told authorities that Gilmer was not looking after the children, though; the friend, who had not been drinking, was the babysitter that evening.

Additionally, Gilmer's wife admitted that she gave the three young adults beer. She insisted to police that her husband wasn't with them when they drove around the neighborhood, though.

At the hospital, Dame told police that her stepfather was indeed driving the car. At one point, he began slamming on the brakes and then accelerating, which caused her to be catapulted from the vehicle when they approached Oak Road.

Gilmer and Pepper were arrested the day of the incident on the following charges:

• Gilmer: three counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor, obstruction of an officer, reckless driving and reckless conduct. Police later obtained two aggravated battery charges for Gilmer.
• Pepper: possession or purchase of alcohol by a person under the age of 21 and obstruction of officer.

Warrants were pulled for Tracey Gilmer, Wittenberg and Dame, but because of the young women's serious injuries, they were not arrested immediately. Tracey Gilmer wasn't arrested immediately, either, because she had to take care of her other children, according to the report.

Two days after the incident, police observed Dame in several casts and with swelling all over her body still in the hospital. On May 8, she was arrested and charged with purchasing/possession of alcohol while under 21, and her mother was arrested and charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor the same day.

There is a warrant for Wittenberg on a purchasing/possession of alcohol while under 21 charge, but as of May 13, there are no jail records of her being arrested in connection to the incident.

See also: 

• Inside the Police Reports: 'You Going to Jail Now'
• Police: Couple Drove Truck with Dead Grandfather Inside
• Lilburn Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Drive-In Murder

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