A head-on collision just after noon on Thursday has left three Dawson County residents, including an elderly couple, in critical condition.

According to Dawson County Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Tony Wooten, the wreck on Hwy. 9, north of Dawsonville, near Veterans Memorial Park ended with two patients being airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and a third taken by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.

"While it is still under investigation, as to nature of the collision, we do know that a pickup truck struck a passenger car in a head-on collision," he said.

Authorities said all three victims were in critical condition, with injuries ranging from burns to lacerations to possible broken bones.

The driver of the truck, whose name has not been released, was pulled from the flaming vehicle by a nearby resident, a family member of the driver, who was following close behind him when he wrecked, and sheriff's deputies Jessica Craft and Donna Bennett, according to Wooten.

The driver of the truck suffered severe burns and lacerations, and was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

The male driver of the car was taken by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, while his female passenger was airlifted to Grady.

The roadway was closed for several hours while Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team investigated to crash.

Check back to dawsonnews.com for updates.