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Dawson County agrees to collision settlement
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The Dawson County Board of Commissioners has agreed to settle a lawsuit with the family of a man who was killed earlier this year when his motorcycle collided with a county vehicle.

The commission did not publicly release the settlement offer after discussing the litigation in a closed meeting Thursday.

As of Tuesday, it could not be determined if the family of William Buchanan "Buck" Chapman had accepted the offer.

Chapman, 23, died June 15 in the wreck at the entrance to Veterans Memorial Park on Ga. 9 North.

Chapman left behind his wife, Cindy Chapman, who was pregnant at the time.

James "Jim" Ferrante, a county maintenance worker, was charged with one count each of second-degree vehicular homicide and failure to yield the right of way. The charges are misdemeanors.

Chapman's motorcycle struck a trailer Ferrante was pulling behind a county maintenance truck.

Authorities have said the truck turned into the path of the motorcycle.

Ferrante, 42, had worked as a facilities maintenance supervisor with the county since 2004. He has since resigned.

According to employment records, Ferrante's last day with the county was Nov. 24.

County Manager Kevin Tanner said Ferrante was unable to perform his duties as a facilities worker after the wreck because he was no longer allowed to drive a county vehicle.

"We didn't have another position available," Tanner said.