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  • Ozzie Bradley, Slocomb, Alabama: Fatal Single-Vehicle Tree Crash Sparks Multi-Agency Investigation

    An emergency call came into Geneva County 911 dispatchers at 5:53 p.m. Wednesday reporting a serious crash at a local intersection. Emergency personnel rushed to the scene where Highway 104 meets Geneva County Road 91 inside the city limits of Slocomb.

    First responders from Slocomb Police and Slocomb Fire and Rescue arrived to find a single vehicle that had crashed into a tree off the main road. The driver, 55-year-old Enterprise resident Ozzie Bradley, had been thrown clear of the car upon impact.

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    Medical personnel evaluated Bradley right away at the crash site. Despite their fast arrival, responders found no signs of life, and Geneva County Coroner Donny Adkinson was called to the location.

    Coroner Adkinson pronounced Bradley dead at the scene. Authorities confirmed that Bradley was the only person inside the vehicle at the time of the collision and that no other people were hurt.

    The crash brought out a heavy multi-agency response across Geneva County. Deputies from the Sheriff’s Office assisted with scene control while troopers from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency took charge of the official crash investigation.

    Slocomb is located in the southeastern corner of Alabama near the Florida line, about 25 miles southeast of Dothan. Investigators spent hours examining the roadway and the crash site to gather evidence about how the vehicle drifted off the pavement.

    State troopers have not yet released details regarding the vehicle make or what caused it to leave the road. The official investigation into the cause of the fatal crash remains open and ongoing.

  • Ozzie Bradley, Slocomb, Alabama: Driver Ejected and Killed After Vehicle Slams Into Tree at Rural Intersection

    Ozzie Bradley was driving through Geneva County on Wednesday evening when his journey came to a sudden end at a quiet local intersection. The 55-year-old Enterprise resident was traveling through the city limits of Slocomb around 5:53 p.m. when his vehicle suddenly ran off the road near Highway 104 and Geneva County Road 91. The car veered off the asphalt and crashed head-on into a tree.

    The force of the impact threw Bradley directly out of the vehicle. Nearby witnesses and drivers alerted 911 immediately, prompting emergency dispatchers to send local police and rescue squads straight to the scene.

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    Emergency medical workers reached the crash site within minutes and rushed to check on Bradley. They quickly determined that he suffered fatal injuries during the crash and could not be revived.

    Geneva County Coroner Donny Adkinson arrived at the scene shortly after the emergency teams. He officially pronounced Bradley dead on site. The sudden tragedy has left family and friends in nearby Enterprise grieving a sudden loss on a routine weekday evening.

    Slocomb sits in southeastern Alabama, about 25 miles from Dothan and just north of the Florida state line. The rural intersection where the accident occurred connects two major county routes that local residents rely on every day.

    Multiple local and state agencies responded to manage the crash site. Officers with the Slocomb Police Department and deputies from the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office blocked off traffic, while Slocomb Fire and Rescue workers cleared debris from the roadway. State troopers from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency also arrived to assist with the scene.

    State troopers are leading the investigation to figure out why Bradley’s car left the road. Officials noted that no other vehicles were involved in the crash, and no additional injuries were reported.

  • Joseph Shults, Sweetwater, Texas: Buckled driver survives crash that claimed lives of two unbelted truck occupants.

    A single split second at a West Texas intersection made the difference between minor injuries and a double fatality. Joseph Timothy Shults, a 38-year-old driver from Ropesville, survived a heavy broadside collision on Wednesday afternoon near Sweetwater. His 2024 Ford F-150 slammed into a turning 2015 Dodge Ram 3500 that pulled directly into his path.

    The crash happened around 4:17 p.m. at the junction of U.S. Highway 180 and Farm to Market Road 611 in Fisher County. Shults was heading westbound when the oncoming Dodge Ram attempted a left-hand turn across his lane. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers reported that the driver of the Dodge failed to yield the right of way.

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    Behind the wheel of the Dodge was 80-year-old Elmo Hiram Nowlain of Valley Mills. Riding beside him in the passenger seat was 39-year-old Andrew Joseph Starr from Hamilton. With no time for either driver to stop, the Ford struck the side of the Dodge in the middle of the crossing.

    The impact proved fatal for both men inside the turning truck. Emergency responders pronounced Nowlain and Starr dead at the scene shortly after arriving. State troopers later noted that neither man had buckled up prior to the collision.

    Shults owed his survival to a simple strap. Texas DPS troopers confirmed he was wearing his seatbelt during the collision. The safety restraint kept him in place as his truck absorbed the shock, leaving him with only minor injuries.

    Paramedics transported Shults to Fisher County Hospital shortly after the crash. Medical staff treated his minor injuries while state troopers closed off the intersection to examine the vehicles and map out the impact site. The rural area lies roughly 100 miles west of Abilene in a wide-open region of West Texas.

    State troopers continue to investigate the details surrounding the fatal wreck at U.S. 180 and FM 611. Official reports list the failure to yield right of way as the main cause, though DPS investigators stress that their findings remain preliminary as they review all physical evidence.

  • Elmo Nowlain, Sweetwater, Texas: Two unbelted Central Texas men killed instantly in afternoon broadside crash at rural intersection.

    A routine Wednesday drive through West Texas ended in tragedy for two Central Texas men. Elmo Hiram Nowlain, an 80-year-old resident of Valley Mills, and his 39-year-old passenger, Andrew Joseph Starr of Hamilton, lost their lives in a violent two-truck collision. The crash occurred around 4:17 p.m. at a quiet rural intersection in Fisher County. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene by responding authorities.

    The two men were traveling eastbound along U.S. Highway 180 in a 2015 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck. As they approached Farm to Market Road 611 near Sweetwater, their heavy-duty truck headed straight toward the crossing. State troopers noted that the flat, open stretch of road sits about 100 miles west of Abilene. Traffic was moving normally right up until the moments leading to the collision.

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    At that same instant, another pickup was headed toward the intersection from the opposite direction. Driving that second vehicle, a 2024 Ford F-150, was 38-year-old Joseph Timothy Shults of Ropesville. Neither driver had much time to react as both trucks closed the distance at highway speeds.

    Preliminary findings from the Texas Department of Public Safety indicate that Nowlain attempted to make a left turn across the oncoming lanes. Investigators stated that Nowlain failed to yield the right of way, pulling the Dodge directly into the path of the approaching Ford. The resulting impact slammed the Ford into the turning Dodge with devastating force.

    The collision inflicted fatal injuries on both men inside the Dodge Ram. Emergency crews arrived shortly after the 4:17 p.m. call, but there was nothing medics could do for the driver or his passenger. State troopers later confirmed a critical detail from the wreck: neither Nowlain nor Starr was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred.

    Shults fared much better on the other side of the impact. The Ropesville driver was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. He walked away with minor injuries and was transported to Fisher County Hospital for treatment and observation.

    Texas DPS investigators continue to review the wreckage and evidence at the intersection of U.S. 180 and FM 611. While state troopers listed failure to yield as the primary contributing factor, officials emphasized that the investigation remains open. Additional details may be released as investigators finish their review of the scene.