GADSDEN POST – A single-vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 6:05 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, has claimed the life of a Leesburg man. Terry W. Newton, 32, was critically injured when the 1998 Chevrolet S-10 he was driving left the roadway and struck a tree. Newton was not using a seat belt at the time of the crash and was airlifted from the scene  to Atrium Floyd Hospital in Rome, Ga., where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. The crash occurred on Alabama 273 near the 8 mile marker, approximately seven miles north of Leesburg, in Cherokee County

Members of the Leesburg Town Council, Mayor and Firefighters went to Atrium Floyd in Rome to escort Newton’s remains and family to the Perry Funeral Home in Centre. Units from Cedar Bluff Police, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and Centre Police Departments assisted with the escort by blocking intersections along the route while Firefighter Terry Newton’s body passed.

According to family members, Newton was on his way to work early Sunday morning when the accident occurred. According data obtained from the scene, it appears the accident happened around 5:30 but was not discovered until 6:05 when a fellow firefighter was passing by and saw the wrecked vehicle.

The Cherokee County Rescue Squad was called for the extrication of the victim from the wreckage, Sand Rock Fire, Leesburg Fire, and Tuckers Chapel Fire units were all in the scene along with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department. All units converged on the scene to set up a landing zone by shutting down Alabama highway 273 for the Survival Flight 16 unit to land.