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Jogger stable after being struck by car
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A Gainesville youth minister was in critical but stable condition Thursday after being struck by a drunken driver while jogging, officials and family members said.

Vester Lewis, 56, was jogging north alongside Tanners Mill Road off the roadway near its intersection with Jones Lane shortly before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when he was struck by a southbound 1996 Pontiac Trans Am driven by 46-year-old Annette Jackson of Gainesville, the Georgia State Patrol said.

Jackson lost control of her car for unknown reasons and went into a spin, hitting Lewis just before stopping. The jogger went over the hood of the car and fell into the road, officials said.

Lewis’ daughter, Jamie Rhye, said he sustained a broken back, collapsed lung, cracked ribs, internal bleeding and severe abrasions. He remained at Northeast Georgia Medical Center on Thursday, where he has been able to talk to family members about the accident, she said.

Jackson smelled of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test, the state patrol said. Jackson was charged with DUI and failure to maintain lane, authorities said. The state patrol has not ruled out additional charges.

Lewis is children’s minister at Hopewell Baptist Church in Gainesville, his daughter said.