Quiet weekend for 1st responders

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Even though local law enforcement officials said Monday that it was a quiet Fourth of July weekend, two Covington County residents found themselves involved in major traffic accidents outside of the county.

A Greenville woman was killed while standing in the roadway on U.S. Highway 31 in Butler County on Friday night.

The crash occurred at 10:50 p.m. at the 134.6 mile marker, five miles southeast of Greenville, where Donna Lee Thompson, 32, was struck and killed by a 2015 Freightliner truck driven by Gerald Dewayne Robinson, 47, of Red Level.

Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock pronounced Thompson dead at the scene. Robinson was not injured.

On Saturday afternoon while driving his 1997 Ford, Charles Short, 49, of Opp, was struck by a 2003 Ford that was driven by Inocencio Perez Gomez, The Luverne Journal reported.

“A preliminary investigation indicates that alcohol was a factor in this crash (Gomez),” Alabama State Trooper Spokesperson Kevin Cook said.

Gomez’s vehicle had three passengers. All were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment of their non-life threating injuries.

Short was also taken to a hospital with non-life threating injuries, as he was the only occupant of his vehicle.

Lifeflight took Gomez to Baptist South in Montgomery with life threatening injures, Cook said.

Cook said the only crash state troopers responded to in Covington County occurred on Friday.

“It was a single-vehicle crash that occurred at 9:10 p.m. on Parrish Road,” Cook said. “Jared Lee Mathis, 22, of Pell City was driving a 2003 Ford that crashed.”

Cook said three passengers in Parrish’s vehicle were transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

Andalusia Police Chief Paul Hudson said all was quiet in Andalusia over the weekend.

Covington County Chief Deputy David Anderson said everything was fine.

Opp Assistant Police Chief Kevin Chance said there were no wrecks or accidents in Opp.

Alabama State Troopers continue to investigate the incidents.