Two west Alabama high school students were killed in a weekend car wreck that occurred hours after prom at an area high school, authorities said.
Madison Sims, 17, of Paul W. Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa, and Samuel Brown Jr., 18, of R.C. Hatch High School in Uniontown, died Saturday, according to the Perry County School District. Tuscaloosa police said a two-vehicle crash occurred around 1:50 a.m. at the intersection of Skyland Boulevard East and Interstate 20/59 that left two teens dead and two other teens injured.
Stephanie Taylor, a spokeswoman for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, on Sunday confirmed that Brown was the front-seat passenger who died in the crash but did not release the names of the other teens. Taylor said an 18-year-old backseat passenger from Montgomery who was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham is being treated for ” serious and extensive injuries that, thankfully, don’t appear to be life-threatening at this time.”
A 17-year-old female from Marion was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa with minor injuries and was listed in good condition.
Crash hours after high school prom
The crash occurred hours after Bryant High’s prom, which was held Friday night at the Tuscaloosa River Market on Jack Warner Parkway.
Tuscaloosa City Schools, which includes Bryant High, and the Perry County School District, which includes R.C. Hatch High, offered condolences through social media.
The Bryant High School Facebook page said, “The Paul W. Bryant Stampede family is deeply saddened by the loss of Madison Sims. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the families impacted.”
Malcolm Gross, Madison’s math teacher, said she “was a shining light to everyone she made contact with.
“Although she was quiet, her presence spoke volumes to her peers and adults alike. She will be missed dearly,” Gross said.
Lydia Edwards, the principal at Bryant High, said Madison “will always live in the hearts that she left behind.’
She was a sweet and quiet student in our building. Madison knew the power of having strong friendships, and she loved wholeheartedly all who entered her friend circle,” Edwards said.
The crash involved a 2022 Tesla, occupied by the four teenagers, and a semi-truck. The Tesla was pinned underneath the truck’s trailer, according to police.
The Tuscaloosa police department’s traffic homicide unit responded to the crash and is conducting an investigation.
