An Eatonton father was apparently killed in a head-on collision Friday, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills.
Terence Butts, 45, of Eatonton, died in the crash that happened around 3:45 p.m. May 17. His two daughters, ages seven and 12, were in the backseat of the 2005 Toyota Corolla he was driving, and were taken by Putnam County EMS ambulance to Atrium Health Navicent Medical Center in Macon.
Their conditions have not been made public by authorities.
Butts was traveling east on State Route 16, also known as Sparta Highway, when his Corolla crossed over the center line and hit an oncoming box truck head-on in the westbound lane, Sills said. The crash happened near the intersection of Maddox Road and Highway 16.
Sills said Butts’ family members told him that Mr. Butts had been working long hours and hadn’t had much sleep since working a 12-hour shift. The sheriff said the straight-on angle of the impact indicated the driver “very well may have fallen asleep or passed out.”
“The truck driver had actually come to a near stop as he saw it coming,” Sills added.
Putnam County Fire Department firefighters and first responders had to extricate Butts from the car. Putnam County Coroner Hollis Harrison said an autopsy would be done to determine the cause of death.
The 2023 Ford F650 box truck, a Budget Rental truck, was driven by a 40-year-old man from Powder Springs, who was not injured. His passenger, a 37-year-old Loganville woman, was also not injured.
Drivers of other vehicles on the road who witnessed the accident gave statements to Putnam County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Jeffrey Duncan and Cpl. Chris Donovan, who investigated the crash.
Butts’ family members and friends shared the tragedy along with their memories and expressions of grief on their social media pages.
A cousin in Atlanta, Cynthia Black, said Butts had just told her two days earlier that he would see her at the upcoming Atlanta Falcons versus Pittsburgh Steelers football game.
“The Butts/Hudson families and the city of Eatonton lost an angel here on earth, but God definitely gained one,” she wrote. “We’re going to miss you, cousin.”
Bernard’s Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements and services, which were incomplete at the newspaper’s press time. He is survived by his wife, Natasha Butts, his daughters, his mother, Elaine Butts, and other relatives, according to their social media posts.