Local News
Victims killed in predawn Jefferson County crash identified
JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL — A tragic single-vehicle crash early Sunday morning in northern Jefferson County claimed the lives of two teenagers and left six others injured, prompting an outpouring of grief and support across the community.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Monday identified the victims as Treylen Anderson Floyd, 18, and Tristan Drake Cox, 19.
Both young men were recent graduates of Corner High School, where they were known as student-athletes and active members of their school community.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the scene of the crash at approximately 2:58 a.m. on Mt. Olive Road near Partridge Loop.
The vehicle, a pickup truck carrying eight teenagers, had veered off the roadway and struck a utility pole.
Floyd and Cox were pronounced dead at the scene at 3:24 a.m.
The remaining six occupants—one male and five females, all between the ages of 16 and 19—were transported to UAB Hospital with injuries that, according to investigators, are not believed to be life-threatening.
The sheriff’s office reported that the preliminary investigation indicates the crash was a single-vehicle incident involving a loss of control, causing the truck to leave the road and impact the pole.
Authorities have not released further details regarding the cause of the crash, and the investigation remains ongoing.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the community has come together in mourning. Tributes and prayers for the victims and their families have flooded social media.
New Bethel Baptist Church shared on Facebook,
“Please join us in prayer for the families of the young people from Corner who were tragically killed and injured in an automobile accident early this morning. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this immense loss. May God’s comfort and peace surround them during this incredibly difficult time.”
On Sunday evening, HighPoint Community Church opened its sanctuary to the public, offering a space for collective prayer and reflection for the families and the broader community impacted by the loss.
Gardendale Mayor Stan Hogeland also expressed his condolences, writing,
“My heart breaks for the families of the kids and the entire Corner community. Please pray for all involved. I can’t imagine the pain.”
Support services and grief counseling are expected to be made available to students and families in the coming days as the Corner community grapples with the devastating loss of two of its young members.
Local News
Jimmy Brooks Killed in Wrong-Way Tesla Crash on I-26 in Buncombe County, Driver Bradley Vance Charged
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. — Jimmy Lee Brooks, 42, of Leicester, North Carolina, died after a wrong-way Tesla crash involving three vehicles on Interstate 26 near Asheville on Thursday afternoon, October 22, 2026.
Several other people were injured in the collision, and the Tesla driver has been charged in connection with the fatal crash.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Bradley Vance Lanier, 54, of Taylors, South Carolina, was driving a Tesla westbound in the eastbound lanes of I-26 near Exit 37 when the vehicle struck a Honda SUV head-on before colliding with a Honda passenger car.
Brooks was a passenger in the Honda passenger car. He was transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said troopers responded to the crash at approximately 2:30 p.m. Thursday near mile marker 37 on eastbound I-26.
According to the agency’s statement, the Tesla entered the interstate traveling west in the eastbound lanes near Exit 37, also associated with Long Shoals Road. The vehicle first struck a Honda SUV head-on and then collided with a Honda passenger car.
A trooper from a neighboring county arrived shortly after the collision and began providing assistance to a passenger inside the Honda passenger car.
The car’s driver and two passengers were transported to Mission Hospital with serious injuries. Brooks was among the passengers and later died at the hospital. Authorities said the conditions of the other occupants were not immediately known.
The driver of the Honda SUV was also taken to Mission Hospital with minor injuries and was later released.
Lanier, the driver of the Tesla, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Mission Hospital before being released, according to the Highway Patrol.
Troopers subsequently charged him with four offenses:
- Driving while impaired (DWI)
- Felony death by vehicle
- Felony serious injury
- Reckless driving
Following his release from the hospital, Lanier was taken to the Buncombe County Detention Facility, where he was being held on a $5 million secured bond, according to the agency’s statement.
The charges are allegations, and the case will proceed through the court system. The official statement does not establish a conviction.
Interstate 26 was closed for approximately two hours while troopers investigated the collision and documented the scene.
The investigation centers on the circumstances that led the Tesla to travel in the wrong direction on the eastbound side of the interstate and the subsequent collisions involving the two Honda vehicles.
Authorities have not released the current medical conditions of all the injured occupants.
The fatal crash claimed the life of Brooks, a Leicester resident, and left several other people requiring hospital treatment.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating the collision. Further information about the case may be released as the investigation and legal proceedings continue.