Funeral arrangments have been announced for two local retired teachers who died from injuries they sustained in a wreck Friday morning on GA 15 south of Tallulah Falls.
71-year-old Brenda Elaine Simmons and her aunt, 87-year-old Bobbie Suggs Harrison, both of Cornelia, were former elementary school teachers. Simmons taught kindergarten for 25 years at Baldwin Elementary School in Habersham County. Harrison was retired from the Hall County School System where she taught second grade at Lula Elementary School for 25 years, according to her obituary.
Officials say Simmons was behind the wheel of an SUV that ran in front of another vehicle on Highway 15/US 441 in Habersham County. The accident happened around 8:37 a.m. on Friday, September 13, at the intersection of GA 15 and Historic US 441.
Senior Trooper John Crawford with Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa says Simmons was driving east on Historic US 441 in a 2008 Honda Pilot. He says the preliminary investigation indicates she stopped at the stop sign at the intersection with GA 15. Simmons then attempted to cross over the highway but failed to yield and pulled into the path of an oncoming Cadillac Escalade.
The Cadillac struck the Honda on the driver’s side, sending the Honda airborne into a ditch. Both vehicles were heavily damaged. All of the occupants were trapped inside the vehicles. First responders extricated them from the wreckage.
Harrison was seated in the back right-side passenger’s seat. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Simmons was critically injured. She and her adult son, Scott Pardue, who was riding in the front passenger seat, were both airlifted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) in Gainesville. Simmons died at the hospital several hours later.
The driver of the Cadillac was also injured. He’s identified as 18-year-old Keiston Bryar Coalley of Tiger. Rabun County EMS transported Coalley by ambulance to NGMC.
Trooper Crawford says everyone was wearing their seatbelts and all of the airbags deployed. “It was a huge impact because the Cadillac didn’t even have time to touch the brakes,” he says.
The accident temporarily shut down Highway 15/US 441 near the crash site. One of the first emergency workers to arrive on the scene was Simmons’ son-in-law. Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black says it was “a very sad and difficult call.”
Trooper Crawford says the investigation into the accident is ongoing. He says it does not appear that any alcohol or drugs were involved. No charges have been filed.
The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is handling the investigation.
Funeral arrangements
Harrison will be buried Sunday. Her funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. September 15, at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church located at 8503 Pea Ridge Road in Cornelia.
The family will receive visitors from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, September 14, at McGahee-Griffin and Stewart Funeral Home located at 175 VFW Road in Cornelia.
Bobbie Suggs Harrison obituary
Simmons’ funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, September 16, in the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin and Stewart Funeral Home in Cornelia. The family will receive visitors from 5-8 pm on Sunday, September 15, at the funeral home.
Brenda Elaine Pardue Simmons obituary
