A forty-year-old Georgia Department of Transportation maintenance department foreman was killed while cleaning up storm damage in Walker County on Friday night.  Sean Kornaki was a sixteen-year veteran of the Georgia DOT. 

 Kornacki was using a chainsaw to cut a tree to help with cleanup on Highway 193 in Walker County about two miles away from Lafayette.

That’s when officials said the tree he was cutting split and fell striking the 40-year-old man in the head. The Walker County Medical Examiner confirmed that blunt force trauma to his head and chest is what caused his death.

The mother of the fallen GDOT worker, Kim Kornacki, said her son didn’t suffer. Officers on scene tried to move the tree but it was too large.

Officials said Sean Kornacki was working by himself on the tree and another officer was there to direct traffic.

State Senator Colton Moore said:

It is with a heavy heart we share this difficult news out of Walker County regarding the tragic passing of Georgia Department of Transportation employee Sean Kornacki.
Sean served the State of Georgia DOT for 16 years and was killed in the line of duty last night after working to clear battered roads from yesterday’s storms.
Sean served as the Walker County Highway Maintenance foreman and worked his entire career to keep roads in Northwest Georgia safe and clear. Today we honor Sean’s life and his family during this difficult time. Our prayers are with all families who tragically lost loved ones across Georgia due to these storms. Sean was only 40 – May 6, 1982 – January 13, 2023