Executive Summary
- Head-on collision on Alabama Highway 9 claims two lives near Centre.
- Juvenile driver airlifted to UAB Hospital with unspecified injuries.
- Victims identified as Jasmine D. Agan and Thomas D. Agan.
- Coroner reports neither deceased victim was wearing a seat belt.
- ALEA Highway Patrol Division is leading the ongoing investigation.
Two individuals were killed and a teenager was airlifted to a trauma center following a head-on collision on New Year’s Day in Cherokee County, Alabama, according to state law enforcement officials.
Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division responded to the crash at approximately 5:43 p.m. on Alabama Highway 9, near the 263-mile marker, about two miles north of Centre. The preliminary investigation indicates that a 2020 Chevrolet Traverse, driven by 26-year-old Jasmine D. Agan of Cedar Bluff, collided head-on with a 2003 Ford Explorer operated by a 16-year-old juvenile, also of Cedar Bluff.
Both Jasmine D. Agan and a passenger in the Chevrolet, identified as 25-year-old Thomas D. Agan of Temple, Georgia, sustained fatal injuries. The Cherokee County Coroner’s Office pronounced both individuals deceased at the scene. Authorities reported that neither victim was utilizing a seat belt at the time of the impact.
The 16-year-old driver of the Ford Explorer suffered injuries in the crash. Emergency responders initially transported the teenager to a local hospital before airlifting the patient to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital for specialized treatment.
Multiple agencies assisted at the scene, including the Cedar Bluff Police and Fire Departments, Centre Police and Fire Departments, Atrium Floyd EMS, and Life Flight 16. The ALEA Highway Patrol Division is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.
Investigative Outlook
As the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency continues its forensic reconstruction of the accident, the focus will likely turn to the specific dynamics that caused one vehicle to cross the center line. The absence of seat belts noted by the Coroner’s Office serves as a significant factor in the fatality assessment, reinforcing data regarding occupant restraint systems and survival rates in high-impact collisions. Investigators will analyze environmental conditions, vehicle mechanics, and driver behavior as they finalize their report on this fatal holiday traffic incident.
