A vehicle crash on U.S. Hwy. 441 claimed the lives of three North Georgia men on Thursday, April 24.
The three men each left families, including young children, to grieve them.
According to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills, the men were traveling southbound on U.S. 441 in a 2024 Dodge Ram pickup truck that was towing a trailer loaded with commercial air conditioning equipment. As the Dodge approached the traffic light at the intersection of Hwy. 441, Pea Ridge Road, and Twin Bridges Road, it crashed into the back of a 2022 Kenworth Tractor pulling an Aulick trailer.
The tractor-trailer was also southbound but was stopped at the traffic light at the intersection.
The 911 Emergency Center at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office received the call at 9:54 a.m.
Several deputies and first responders with the Putnam County Fire Department and the Putnam County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene. Another civilian who was passing by had already parked his vehicle across the roadway to block oncoming traffic from striking the wreckage.
Witnesses said that after the driver got out of his vehicle and checked the victims, he fell to his knees in the roadway beside the crash scene and prayed as the rescuers arrived.
The driver of the pickup was Derek William Stevens, 35, of Alto; the passengers were Johnathan Tyler Haney, 25, of Clermont, and Brystin David Lee Stevens, 18, of Flowery Branch.
All three men died from injuries sustained in the accident, Sills said.
Waste Eliminator, Inc., DBA Georgia Soil, owned the 18-wheeler. The driver, Christopher Lee Owens, 40, of Danielsville, was not injured, Sills said.
It is unknown what caused the pickup to crash into the tractor-trailer, but the driver apparently did not apply the brakes of the pickup, Sills said, because there were no skid marks at the scene, and witnesses did not see any brake lights.
The driver, Derek Stevens, had just turned 40 two days earlier, according to his obituary by Whitfield Funeral Homes in Baldwin. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and son, as well as his parents, grandparents, and many siblings.
Stevens ran his own business, D&D Enterprises, enjoyed duck hunting and fishing, but his greatest love was drifting. A GoFundMe account was set up for his family at gofundme.com/f/support-for-stevens-family-after-heartbreaking-loss.
His wife, Devin, posted on social media a photo of a coffee mug that she discovered in the wrecked pickup when picking up her husband’s belongings. The mug was new and still packaged in what she described as “a perfect white box,” apparently left there by someone after the wreck. The mug was printed with a saying, “It is well with my soul,” and the Bible verse Psalm 116:7.
“And God spoke to me in the worst moment of my life, and it was amazing,” she wrote, and tagged family members of the other victims. “I hope this brings peace to your heart. God has sent one joyful moment each day since my forever love, Derek, has been gone. Glory be to God, even in the worst moments and days to come.”
Brystin Stevens, who was the nephew of Derek Stevens, would’ve celebrated his 19th birthday on April 29. He is survived by a one-year-old son, his fiancée, his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and many other family members. According to his obituary by Memorial Park South Funeral Home in Flowery Branch, Brystin Stevens enjoyed playing basketball, duck hunting with his uncle, and time with his son.
“He is so sweet, pure, and just full of smiles, happiness, and laughs,” Brystin Stevens posted on social media about his son, Brantley. “The way of this world has tried to bring me down, but this is my purpose, and I know I will prevail for my boy and God. Psalm 127:3-4 says, ‘Children are a heritage from the Lord … Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.’ I thank God for [him] every day.”
Johnathen “Tyler” Haney is survived by his wife and their three children, one only one month old, as well as his father and siblings, according to his obituary by Memorial Park Riverside Chapel in Gainesville.
“Johnathen lived his life with heart and purpose, always putting his family first,” the obituary says. “He will be remembered for his warm spirit, his loyalty to those he loved, and the legacy he leaves behind as a husband, father, and friend.”