It was clear that Bradley Ayden Deason would choose the day of his arrival — New Year’s Day — and nothing was going to get in his way.

Not some doctor saying he couldn’t arrive until the end of January.

Not a car accident.

Nothing.

Bradley, the newborn son of Tiffany Howell and Joseph Deason of Red Level, made his grand entrance into the world at 11:59 a.m., Jan. 1, and is not only Covington County’s New Year’s baby but also the county’s first baby of the new decade.

Bradley’s mom said her family was excited about the new arrival, who was born four weeks prematurely.

“I was nervous about his development,” Howell said. “The first thing I asked about was if his lungs were developed, and the doctor said other than a little jaundice, he was fine. I was so thankful.”

Howell said she was as thankful Saturday as she was on Nov. 29, 2009, when she survived a one-vehicle accident with only minor bruises.

“I was going down (State Route) 55 when the last thing I remembered was looking down and then crawling out the car’s passenger-side window,” she said.

Howell’s mom, Sherry, said the car hit a culvert and flipped four times before coming to rest in a driveway.

“All (Tiffany) had was four bruises,” she said. “She and the baby were very lucky. It was a close call.”

Dr. J.E. Browning and the OB staff at Andalusia Regional Hospital delivered Bradley, who weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and was 22 inches long.

Bradley is the maternal grandson of Sherry Howell and John Mitchell of Red Level and Charlie Howell and Melody McCart of Opp, and the paternal grandson of Debbie and Allen Deason of Red Level.

He should be released from the hospital sometime today. As ARH’s New Year’s baby, he will receive a savings bond and basket filled with goodies from local merchants.