CLOVERDALE– A one-vehicle crash around 11 am on Saturday, December 19, has claimed the life of two Florence residents.
According to Corporal James Howard of the Quad Cities Trooper Post, Mary Montgomery Smith, a 53-year-old female, was driving a 2016 Toyota Prius that left the roadway and struck a tree. Smith was taken to NAMC in Florence and pronounced deceased by hospital staff.
The front seat passenger, Gaius Wayne Crakaal, 49, of Florence, was flown by helicopter to Athens Hospital and pronounced deceased by hospital staff. The back-seat passenger, Austin Smith, 15, was flown to Nashville for treatment of serious injuries.
The crash occurred on County Road 11 in the Cloverdale Community of Lauderdale County, approximately 8 miles north of Florence, Alabama. None of the victims in the crash were wearing seatbelts. State Troopers continue to investigate the crash.
