March 20, 2004
Thomas County -- The fatal crash happened around 9:00 PM Friday night in Thomas County. It backed up traffic on Highway 84 for almost four hours as emergency workers recovered the lifeless bodies of 2 teens and a 12 year old from the wreckage. The only survivor was a two-year old child.
Police say 19 year old Breckney Hamilton ,of Coolidge, was driving with her 12 year old sister Kimberly and her two year nephew Damon when she ran a stop sign at a busy intersection and collided with the car driven by 19 year Crystal Willis of Quitman. Hamilton was on her way to visit Dale Mims and his wife.
"We had to take the back way in and when we got here-- there was one car sitting over there on the other side of the bushes and her car was sitting over there," says Mims.
Willis's car crashed through the front yard of a home and Hamilton's car with the children inside skidded across the road, hit a sign and flipped several times, before hitting a utility pole.
Everyone except the two year old child died instantly in the crash. The child is now in critical condition at Tallahassee Memorial suffering from a fractured skull and bruised liver. Friends say the family is praying for his recovery.
"Right now they are focusing on trying to get Damon better and seeing if he will pull through this," says Jill Mims.
Both teenagers were recent graduates of Thomas County Central High School. 12-year old Kimberly was a student at Cross Creek Elementary. Now two families are mourning the loss of three young people.
Police say all the victims in the wreck were wearing safety belts. The two year old boy Damon was in a child safety seat, that may have saved his life.
posted at 6:23PM by scott.hunter@walb.com
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 Worldnow and WALB, a Raycom Media Station. 
